Into The Heart Of Darkness
by Stormy1x2
Summary: The Gundam pilots end up in the Marvel universe where Duo becomes a pawn of Sinister. **NEW** Chapter 10
1. Prologue, chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: There is no connection between me and anything pertaining to Gundam Wing *hides Duo's leash* except complete awe for the people who own the copy writes. This is done purely for entertainment.  
  
Title: Into The Heart Of Darkness  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warnings: Angst, sap - this is just the beginning though.  
  
Pairings: 3x4 established but not mentioned - yet. 1x2 - we're getting there! 5x? later on.  
  
  
  
  
  
(Year: 2000 Location: New York City, NY - alternate dimension)  
  
    
  
   
  
The dark haired young woman strode purposely through the darkened hallways, carrying a sheaf of papers in one hand. Coming to the end of the corridor, she manipulated the door lock with familiarity. A mechanical voice rang out, a bright light pinning her in place. She waited patiently.  
  
" STATE ACCESS CODE "  
  
" Alpha 3-0-4, ID Threnody."  
  
" ACCESS PERMITTED "  
  
A loud hiss broke the quietness as the large metal lock slowly pulled apart. The woman waited a moment until the light went off, before stepping through quickly. The doors immediately began to shut behind her. Checking the papers carefully, she went through a second door, placing her hand on the DNA scanner before being allowed through.  
  
Beyond the second door was a large room filled with vials, large glass containers, enough wires, test tubes and computer consoles to rival any Hollywood laboratory set-up. The young woman bypassed the containment units lining the one wall of the room, heedless of the vaguely shapeless things floating within the murky water. She knew they were there. She just didn't care. She had been programmed not to.  
  
At the back of the room, the dark outline of a large person was seen, his back to the girl. She made no noise as she approached, but she knew he was aware of her presence all the same. Coming to a halt directly behind him, she waited patiently for him to acknowledge her. After a minute of typing on the keyboard in front of him, the man lifted his head, but didn't turn around.  
  
" The papers."  
  
Holding out the folder quietly, the man took it from her and opened it. Scanning the sheets, a rare smile curved his lips upwards, showing sharp teeth in an almost feral gesture.  
  
" Yes. Yes, this will do...nicely." The dark man finally turned his gaze on the woman. " You've done well, Threnody." [1]  
  
" Thank you Master," she said, bowing slightly, waiting for her dismissal. The man waved his arm at her offhandedly, his attention already back on the papers. Silently, Threnody ghosted back out of the laboratory, again ignoring the shapes in the glass containers that seemed to register her presence, placing weirdly shaped extremities on the transparent walls to get her attention. Exiting the final door lock, she returned to her quarters until her master would call for her again.  
  
The man placed the retrieved papers on a nearby table that had convenient hand and foot shackles attached to it. A rusty colour stained the metal finish but it was long since dry, and the man didn't worry about ruining the sheets of information. He turned his attention back to the metal object in the room just beyond the computer terminal. It was his most recent.... acquisition.  
  
Black as night, the object of the man's attention gleamed coldly in the harsh lights fixated on it. It resembled a large generator of metallic marble, coils of wires and tubes snaking out of various ports and connecting to actual generators surrounding it. A faint blue pulse echoed within the centre of it, strange symbols carved into the surrounding metal. Metal not of this world. The man's dark laughter echoed softly.  
  
" Yes, it will do indeed." The man's eyes glowed red, a remarkable effect when combined with a lack of pupils, set in the pasty-white face. " And I, Sinister, will teach the feeble humans of this world a lesson they shall never forget!"  
  
    
  
End Prologue  
  
End notes:  
  
1. Threnody is a mutant that absorbs other's pain and transforms it to plasma, which she releases uncontrollably in deadly explosions. Sinister found her and in exchange for helping her to control her power, she works for him as a researcher. In this particular timeline, I'm ignoring the fact that she's now with Nate Grey - this either takes place before she meets the X-MAN, or he doesn't exist - Nate Grey ain't a part of this fic.  
  
1.1.1 Part 1A  
  
   
  
(Year: 195, Location: the outskirts of the Sank Kingdom)  
  
    
  
   
  
" Oi Heero!" Duo Maxwell jogged frantically to catch up with his erstwhile partner, long braid flapping behind him wildly. " Wait up!"  
  
Heero Yuy turned slightly at the sound of his partner's voice, faint smirk already in place. Duo jumped and landed next to him with a flourish.  
  
" Ta-dah!"  
  
" Hn."  
  
" Well, ya could've waited for me, you know!" Duo ignored the pointed smirk and waggled a finger at him. " I would have for you."  
  
" Like you'd ever have to." Heero faced forwards again, long legs eating up the ground beneath him. Duo sighed and tried to match him and failed. Spitting out a curse, he began jogging again.  
  
" No wonder I'm so skinny," he grumbled. " All I do is run everywhere."  
  
Heero hid his smile beneath of mask of casual indifference. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his friend flail his arms, ranting about justice in a way that would have made Wufei proud. On the outside, Heero looked to be ignoring Duo's attempts to make conversation, but on the inside....on the inside, Heero was focusing on every word the braided baka said.  
  
_Focus on the mission, baka_, he told himself angrily. Heero hated arguing with his own mind - he had a habit of losing, especially when it concerned a certain American pilot. His mind knew that if he were to ever approach Duo and let him know his budding feelings - feelings, which the Perfect Soldier felt he had no right in having - he was sure that the American would understand, maybe even reciprocate those feelings. But that would mean opening up in such a way as to leave him completely vulnerable, and Heero knew he couldn't do that. At least not yet. He was vaguely aware of a tugging on his arm.  
  
" Heero? Man, you in there?"  
  
Duo's worried voice broke through the wall his thoughts had produced and he shrugged Duo's hand off his arm.  
  
" I'm fine." He picked up the pace. " Come on. We're going to be late."  
  
Duo stood there, and watched his partner accelerate. " Sure, you're okay," he muttered. " Damn." Then he growled in frustration. " ARRRGHH!! Dammitt Heero - WAIT UP!!"  
  
    
  
   
  
" I HATE math!" Duo groaned as he flung his book bag into the corner of the dorm room he shared with Heero. Pulling a dramatic face, he collapsed face first onto his bed, body twitching in an attempt to imitate the throes of death. Heero, following behind him, smirked at the American's antics.  
  
" Baka. You should know more then the teacher. Didn't Professor G teach you ANYTHING useful?"  
  
Duo sat up, wounded, and stuck out his tongue. " I'll have you know, he taught me LOTS of useful things."  
  
Faintly interested, Heero looked up. " Such as?"  
  
Heero had the pleasure of watching Duo's face burn a faint shade of red and was about to make a comment when he saw the uneasy look on his face. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that he knew very little about his braided partner. Perhaps this would be a revelation. Holding his tongue, he waited to see if Duo would elaborate.  
  
" Aw, never mind," Duo mumbled, suddenly finding the pattern on the bed sheets extremely interesting. " Nothing important."  
  
Heero thought he felt a faint pang of disappointment as Duo's face resumed its normally cheerful expression.  
  
" But I still hate math!"  
  
Heero hmph'd and turned around, heading for his laptop set up at the small desk. in the corner. Booting it up, he clicked on his incoming mail messages and heard the familiar beep. Duo stopped playing with the bedspread and looked up, eyes interested.  
  
" Mission?"  
  
" Hn."  
  
" You could say, ' Yes Duo. We have a mission.' Or even a, ' Duo, as usual you were right - we have a mission'." Duo flopped forwards on the bed and propped his head up on one hand. " Hn. Hn. That's all you ever say."  
  
" Duo?"  
  
" Yeah?"  
  
" Shut up."  
  
" Okay, you say that too," Duo conceded with a sigh. He pointed at the laptop. " Well?"  
  
" Mission."  
  
" ARRRRGHHH!!"  
  
Again, Heero was hard-pressed to cover the smile before Duo saw it but the American had an uncanny ability to sense these things. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and he sat up, pointing a finger unerringly at Heero.  
  
" You're...you're....." Duo swallowed and tried again. " You're SMILING?"  
  
Said smile abruptly vanished to be replaced with a familiar neutral expression. Duo bit back the cry of disappointment at seeing a normal look on his partner's face vanish so quickly. He covered it up with a quick, " I didn't know you could do that without your face cracking."  
  
Heero shot a glare at him and Duo 'eeped and held up his hands in surrender. Satisfied, Heero turned back to the laptop and finished reading the email from Dr J. Duo smirked at his partner's unyielding back. _ Oh yes, that was a smile Heero Yuy. You're not as inhuman as you make yourself out to be_. Duo chewed on the end of his braid thoughtfully, a faint smile on his face. _ Just you wait Yuy - I'll make you human, yet_! Cheered by that thought, he got to his feet and walked over to the desk, draping himself over Heero's shoulder to stare at the screen. " So what's up?"  
  
" There's a base, quite a ways from here, doing experiments with space matter." Heero shifted in his seat, slightly unnerved by the Deathscythe pilot's close proximity. Duo wrinkled his nose.  
  
" Space matter? You mean debris?"  
  
" No. Matter - as in black matter. Much the same kind of energy one would find in a black hole."  
  
Duo leaned back and Heero gave an inward sigh of relief. Duo resumed chewing on his braid, eyes narrowed as he thought about the implications of what Heero had said.  
  
" Why would Oz be studying black holes?"  
  
" Not studying them," Heero said. " Creating them."  
  
Duo's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. " What the hell for?"  
  
Heero shrugged. " That's what we're supposed to find out, baka!" He turned around, sliding the chair back, missing Duo's toes by mere inches.  
  
" Hey!"  
  
" It's a mission for the five of us," Heero continued. " Apparently this base is one of the more heavily guarded ones and will require all of the Gundam pilots."  
  
" You mean.." Duo's voice trailed off as a huge smile broke out on his face. " All RIGHT! We haven't seen the others in WEEKS!"  
  
Four, to be exact. Duo and Heero had been sent to this school for the purpose of infiltrating an Oz base to steal the data for a new underwater suit, similar to Gundams, called the Aquarius. Having finished their mission in record time, they had been told to remain at the school, until further notice. Duo had initially pouted, wanting to go back to Quatre's estate for some R&R before their next job, but they'd been told that Quatre and Trowa were also away on a mission. Similarly, Wufei had been sent to do a solo run that would keep him busy for a while. That had been three weeks ago. Suddenly, Duo was champing at the bit in his eagerness to see his buddies again.  
  
" Are we gonna meet up at the base? Or do we meet first, then blow up?"  
  
" We're relocating to one of Quatre's safe houses, in a place that used to be called New York," Heero said, fingers once again flying over the keyboard. " I'm erasing our school history now - start packing. The others are already there."  
  
" Whoo-hoo!" Duo cheered and pranced back over to his side of the room. Throwing open drawers, he began haphazardly throwing articles of clothing into his ever-present duffle bag. Heero finished initiating the procedure that would erase any trace of them having been there in the school records, and would show a transfer to a new, made-up school, to throw anyone off. Satisfied, he turned the computer off and stretched, feeling his muscles bunch and tighten. He gave a faint grimace and rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly, a warm pair of hands were there, kneading the tense flesh with a skill and gentleness that surprised the Zero pilot.  
  
" What-"  
  
" Relax, man!" Duo clucked his tongue disapprovingly. " No wonder you're always so grumpy - you've got knots that size of rocks taking up residence in your shoulders!"  
  
Moving quickly, he pushed the pilot back into his seat before he could object and began to seriously massage Heero's neck and shoulders, digging his fingers deep into the muscle trying to dislodge all the tension.  
  
_Man, I'll bet no one's ever given him a massage before in his life_, he declared silently. _Gonna have to use some muscle to get iron boy to relax_.  
  
Heero sat there stiffly, unsure as to why he was allowing Duo to do this. Despite his reservations, he felt himself leaning back into the pilot's touch, giving an inward sigh of relief as Duo found a trouble spot and applied pressure to the knotted muscle, painfully kneading and twisting it until it gave up the fight. Heero closed his eyes and let Duo work on the rest of the knots. _I'll yell at him later_.  
  
After a few minutes, Duo patted Heero's shoulders. " Better?" Without waiting for an answer - and not really expecting one - he returned to his side of the room and resumed packing. Heero slowly opened his eyes and watched his partner for a minute. Then he stood, noting immediately the difference in his sore muscles and gave a very faint, almost hidden smile. Walking to the bed, he pulled out his own bag and opened it. Then he looked at Duo.  
  
" Yes."  
  
" Huh?" Duo looked up - but Heero had already turned away and was going through his own drawers, picking out each article and folding it neatly, a contrast to Duo's grab-and- stuff technique. Duo grinned anyway, recognizing Heero's attempt to say thank you and returned to packing.  
  
_Oh yeah - definitely more human_.  
  
    
  
( Year: 2000 Location: New Orleans - alternate dimension)  
  
The young man slipped through the crowded streets of the market. Devastatingly handsome, he attracted the attention of both the young ladies AND the young males who were all out in abundance. He flirted here and there, never stopping long enough to give anyone more then a tantalizing glimpse of long brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and a lean, hard- muscled body swathed in a dark brown trench coat. No one could see the man's eyes, hidden from sight in a pair of expensive black sunglasses, but if one looked hard enough, one could see a red gleam of excitement. The man exuded energy and confidence as he moved through the throngs of people, never once wavering from his intended course.  
  
He caught sight of his destination: a road leading away from the market place and down into a more quiet area. Tall grass and various marsh plants sprouted along the way, tribute to the waterways on either side of him. Picking up the pace, the young man broke out into a slow job, relishing the feel of the wind in his hair as he moved.  
  
A large rusty gate loomed up before him and he pressed a button from a controller, hidden within the folds of his trenchcoat. Alarms deactivated, he pushed the deceptively old gateway open and entered the yard.  
  
The house itself looked abandoned. The man snorted - for all intents and purposes, it WAS. He hadn't been back here in years. The long grass was choked with weeds and other wild flowers, the stairs leading up to the large estate looked to be falling to pieces. Deciding to bypass the stairs completely, the man leaped to the porch in one graceful movement, barely exerting any effort and entered the house.  
  
Inside was a mixture of dust and history. Antique furniture adorned the hallway and large living room that lay sprawled out to the right of him. The only modern looking object in there was a laptop computer. The man headed for it, stopping just before he got there and disarmed it. A simple trick really - but effective. Anyone attempting to use his computer without knowing the passwords - _Or without the disarm button_, he thought - would be blown to itty-bitty pieces. He grinned.  
  
He turned it on, waiting for it to load. His wrist-communicator squawked at him again, and he stuck his tongue out at it.  
  
" I hear ya, I hear ya," he muttered with a wry grin. The laptop finished booting up and he flicked the switch that allowed the camera on his computer to give the person he was contacting a visual image. With a beep, the screen flickered and a beautiful red-and-white haired woman appeared on his screen.  
  
" 'Bout time ya answered, swamp rat!" she said sassily. The man chuckled and blew her a kiss.  
  
" My apologies, petite. I was busy."  
  
" Yeah. Probably flirtin' with every gal in the city. Dang you Remy!"  
  
" You know I only got eyes for you, chere." Taking off his trench coat, Remy Lebeau leaned back in his chair, lacing his black, fingerless gloved hands together behind his head. " Anyt'ing wrong? I only been gone two days - ya miss me d'at much Rogue?"  
  
" Always, sugah," Rogue said softly.[2] Remy leaned forwards and placed his hand on the screen.  
  
" Me too chere."  
  
" But that's not why Ah called." The girl's face dropped the gentle demeanour and she raked a hand through the white skunk streak in her hair. Recognizing the gesture as a sign of nervousness, Remy leaned forward intensely.  
  
" Rogue?"  
  
" You finish up your business there, cajun?" Rogue asked him hopefully. " 'Cause we need ya back here, soon as possible." A frustrated expression stole over her features. " Believe it or not - we were robbed!"  
  
Remy choked. " What!? " A grim smile surfaced. " W'it all d'at security and high tech stuff le Bete is always tinkering w'it - someone broke into da mansion?"  
  
Rogue scowled at him. " It ain't funny Gambit!"  
  
Uh-oh. Remy knew when Rogue called him by his codename he was in trouble. Besides, this worried him slightly - there were very few people in the world who could break the security on the mansion, himself being a Master Thief, [2b] being one of them. " What was taken?"  
  
" Some gear we use to fix cerebro, and some Shi'ar technology. I ain't too sure what it was exactly, but ya remember Reed and Sue Richard's little guy?"  
  
Remy closed his eyes. Reed and Sue Richards - leaders of the Fantastic Four - had a young son named Franklin. A mutant. A damned powerful mutant.  
  
Normally, humans with the mutant gene didn't manifest any powers until they hit puberty. _What a growing pain_, Remy thought ruefully. _One morning, ya wake up w'it your voice changed AND maybe fire shootin' outta your hands or somet'in'_. He eyed his own hands, knowing the destructive power they contained.  
  
Franklin, however, was unique because his powers manifested at the ripe old age of four. Remy remembered hearing the story - the time when the super- mutant teams of the world banded together to stop one powerful mutant, Onslaught, from taking over the world. Remy shivered at the memory. Franklin's parents had been involved and at the climax of the battle, had been destroyed with the rest of the world heroes. The Fantastic Four. The Avengers. Iron Man. Captain America. All of them gone.  
  
Or so they thought.  
  
Franklin, terrified of losing his parents, had released his power unknowingly. The pain and fear that can only be felt by a petrified child, culminated in a devastating wave of power that had engulfed the heroes.  
  
And no one knew.  
  
No one knew what Franklin had done, and the world mourned the loss of the few decent mutants in the world, the few humans that risked their lives everyday in battle against evil. Mutants were generally feared and reviled, but a few had garnered respect, such as the Avengers, who worked with the government. Or the Fantastic Four - regular humans granted powers thanks to beams of cosmic light during a fateful space voyage. Captain America, turned into a super-power by his government. Iron Man - a human inside a metal suit. All of them were mourned.  
  
Until they returned. [3]  
  
No one could figure out how the heroes had survived the battle. It was impossible! Until it was discovered that little Franklin, who loved "ma- croni 'n cheese", and playing with his Nintendo 64, had the mutant ability to generate a pocket dimension - a whole new world, created and solely maintained by a four year old mind.  
  
It was the fear of losing mommy and daddy that had caused his power to come forth and sweep the hero's into his own little world, to protect them unknowingly, saving their lives.  
  
Frightened that their little boy had so much power, Reed Richards, one of the world's smartest man, set about studying his son's powers, working with Professor Xavier [4], the renowned expert on mutants and their abilities, to learn how to help Franklin control his power. They had then discovered that Franklin could not access his powers anymore. [5] It seemed it had been a one-shot deal, born out of desperation, and the power had settled back into latency. Still, using Shi'ar technology, given to them by Empress Lilandra years ago, they were still able to capture some of the excess mutant signature residue, found on all the survivors of the battle. Franklin's mutant signature.  
  
Using the Shi'ar technology, they were able to somewhat replicate little Franklin's powers and discovered that theoretically, it might be possible to create a kind of portal to other dimensions. They al knew of the existence of other dimensions - with all the time travellers popping out of the space/time continuum, forging alternate futures and side time-lines, it wasn't that big of a stretch for the imagination. It was just one of the many experiments that the Professor kept track of, even after Reed decided not to pursue it.  
  
Reed had enough to do with the Fantastic Four, and it was enough for him to know that his son's powers would remain dormant for the next few years. When they next manifested, Franklin would be old enough to train in the use of them. The professor took Reed's reluctance to continue with amazing aplomb and passed the work onto one of his students - Dr. Henry McCoy, codenamed The Beast, due to the blue fur that covered him head to foot on that muscular and agile body. Together, they were very close in discovering a way to travel to other dimensions, using the theories they discovered with Franklin's powers, the Shi'ar matter container, and applying various time-travelling devices they had discovered over the years.  
  
But now, it was gone.  
  
Remy cursed softly, ending his reverie. Rogue blinked at him from the screen.  
  
" Language, sugah," she admonished him, a smile curving her lips. Remy grinned, and then let it fade.  
  
" When was the stuff stolen?"  
  
" 'Bout twenty four hours ago. We wanted ta give ya as much time as ya needed to get your stuff done. The Prof's tryin' ta track down the guys who stole it with Cerebro - Jean's helpin' - but Cyclops wants you back here now. We need your help."  
  
Remy's eyes widened.  
  
" Cyclops wants MY help?" he asked incredulously. " Now I KNOW somet'in's up."  
  
" Remy." The concerned tone in Rogue's voice, caught his attention. He shifted in his seat, looking at Rogue.  
  
" Chere?"  
  
" It was stolen by Mr. Sinister."  
  
Sinister. For a moment, Remy couldn't breathe. In an instant, he was lost, trapped in a haze of memories that swept over him with the force of a tidal wave, washing away all coherent thought. Images of tanks, filled with murky water, beeping lights on computer consoles....Remy could almost feel the shackles on his hands and feet, needles in his veins withdrawing his life's blood. He could hear panicked screams of innocent people as blood painted the dark walls, feral snarls echoing around him, the frightened sound of a young girl crying, what looked like sticks pointing out of places on her body. Dimly, he was aware of Rogue shouting at him.  
  
" Remy! REMY!"  
  
Remy forced his thoughts to stop spinning and he squeezed his eyes shut for a minute, trying to quell the panic seeping through him. Opening his eyes, he noted with faint amusement that his nails had dug crescent-shaped grooves in the leather palms of his gloves, so tightly had he clenched his fists.  
  
" Remy, please!"  
  
Remy focused his eyes on the worried woman on the screen and he forced a smile to his lips.  
  
" You okay sugah?" Green eyes peered at him fretfully. " Thought Ah lost ya for a second."  
  
Remy released a shaky breath. " I'm still here - no worries chere."  
  
" Fool cajun," Rogue said, a smile playing about her face. Then she bit her lip. " Y'all right?"  
  
" Honestly?" Remy thought about that. He did NOT want to chase after Sinister. He didn't want anything to do with that madman ever again. " No. I'm not." He looked back at her. " But d'at don't matter now, does it?"  
  
Rogue sighed and idly traced the outline of his face on the screen. " We could really use the help, Remy. But you know we ain't gonna force ya to do anything."  
  
" D'at's why I got no choice, chere," Remy said with a sigh. " My business here is finished - ahead of schedule too. I'll be home tonight. " [6]  
  
" Thanks Remy. See ya soon." Blowing him a final kiss, the monitor went dark.  
  
Remy shut off his computer, the faint light being extinguished and draping the room in shadows. Remy blew out a sigh and pulled off his sunglasses and in one smooth movement, swept them back on his head, keeping his reddish- brown bangs out of his eyes. Gleaming eyes, blood red pupils, on inky black stared thoughtfully at the now-dark computer.  
  
_Sinister. Other dimensions_. He shuddered. The two combined didn't make him feel very happy. Standing up, he pulled his trench coat back on and packed up his laptop. He double checked the security on his one-time home, and then stepped out the front door. Sunlight assaulted him and he pulled the sunglasses back down on his nose, wincing at the faint pain bright lights caused. Arming the final locks, Remy stepped off the porch and went to the side of the house. A large shed was there, preceded by a long, smooth expanse of grass with odd-looking tread marks in the grass.  
  
Opening the doors, Remy flicked on the light and walked over to a large, sheet-covered object. He pulled the covering off and there stood a small, sleek-looking one-man jet. It didn't resemble any other known jet in the modern world. _Lotta difference a few Shi'ar trinkets will make_, Remy thought as he patted the dark blue exterior. Keying in his access code, a light flashed and the opaque canopy hatch opened up, allowing him access. Settling down into the comfortable leather interior - another perk - Remy started the engines and taxied out of the shed. Activating the VTOL [7] , the small plane began an even rise into the air, metallic wings expanding slightly. Hovering for a few minutes, Remy punched in the coordinates of the X-mansion, home of the famed X-Men, activated the stealth mode, and then let her rip out into the Louisiana sky at a speed not yet reached by even the Concord.  
  
_Sinister_. Remy closed his eyes, and when he opened them, it was Gambit looking back at him in the mirror.  
  
    
  
End Part 1B  
  
End notes:  
  
2. Yeah, I'm keeping ye old faithful together - Rogue and Remy have a nicer relationship here then in the comics. In my world, Rogue discovers Remy's shameful past (which will be explained later on when the G-boys arrive ^_^), and eventually forgives him and forgets it. They are a solid unit, 'kay? Don't flame me for being a sap!  
  
2b. Yep, Remy is one of 3 Master Thief's in the world, the youngest to reach that level in thieves history. This will be explained later when the G-boys arrive.  
  
3. Referring to the Hero's Reborn mini-series which explained the hero's unbelievable return. Hardened followers of Marvel will notice I'm taking a few creative liberties here.  
  
4. A prime example of my creative liberties - in the comics, Onslaught was, in a sense, Professor X's mind on crack. ^_~ The prof went mental and unleashed this entity from his mind that resembled Magneto and was completely insane and destructive. In my fic, some time has passed and he has been, not absolved, but at least forgiven for his transgressions - considering he really didn't have complete control over his mental faculties anyway. So he's working at his redemption and is hard at work in his lab and helping the mutant/human peace issue again. I just needed the tie-in with Franklin.  
  
5. Ahhh...little Franklin. A couple of mini-series during the time his parents and the rest of the Hero's were still thought to be dead, it showed Franklin using his powers several times. In my fic, it was a one-shot deal brought on by desperation. Again, I just wanted Franklin's powers to help explain why dimension hopping would be possible and I had to give you guys some background. Franklin probably won't be making an appearance in this fic and nor will any other teams other then the X-men.  
  
6. Why was Remy in New Orleans? Well, as a member of the Thieves Guild and a Master Thief at that, Remy has certain.... obligations...that he must take care of and all will be explained in the coming chapters - including why Duo Maxwell will play a large part in that business. *grins*  
  
7. VTOL - Vertical Take Off and Landing capabilities that all X-planes are equipped with, including the famed Blackbird. Basically, the plane can hover, rise straight up and do a completely vertical descent, unlike normal planes that need taxiing and runways.  
  
Whew - this is gonna be a long one! I hope it wasn't too confusing for anyone - if you have any questions, please email me and I'll answer! Also - I'd love C&C on this - it's my first epic crossover and I want it to be as realistic and plausible as possible.  
  
The Gundam boys will be making quite a LARGE appearance next time - I just ahd to set the stage first! Forgive me? *grins* 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Into The Heart Of Darkness - X-over with X-men  
  
Parts: 2A B and C  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warnings: Angst, sap, battle  
  
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, Rogue/Remy ^_~  
  
Archive: At Jackies page (addy's in the sig) and whoever else wants it! *looks at Darkflame and Tyr hopefully*  
  
   
  
   
  
1.1 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.1.1 Part 2A  
  
   
  
(Year: 195 Location: Former New York city)  
  
Quatre's safe houses were not ordinary safe houses. Oh no. They were stately, old-Victorian style mansions masquerading as safe houses.  
  
Duo grinned widely as he stuck his head out the window of the vehicle like some braided sheepdog as Heero carefully manoeuvred the huge transport truck up the long winding driveway, trademark to nearly all the Winner residences. Prior experiences, including multiple trees, gates, and busted fire hydrants had taught Heero the value of NOT letting Duo drive.  
  
Ahead, they could already see several members of the Winner family mini- army; two members of the Maganac Corps were flagging him down, indicating that Heero should follow a ramp they had uncovered that led to an underground hangar.  
  
" Over there Heero!" Duo excitedly pointed out two large spaces that had obviously been cleared away for them. Trowa's Heavyarms, Quatre's Sandrock, and Wufei's Shenlong were already in their resting places; silent metal sentries standing guard. More Maganacs scurried about the complex, doing repairs, shouting out orders and seeming to have a wonderful time while doing so. Raucous laughter rang throughout the underground base.  
  
Backing up slowly, warning beeps and all, Heero stopped the rig at the base of a slightly raised platform and cut the engines. Duo cackled and bounded out of the truck's cab, rubbing his hands together. He flipped a switch on the side of the truck and watched as the metal clamps unlocked. Taking hold of the huge canvas, he cackled again, tugging it off in a grand gesture. Well, that was his intention. Two Maganacs on either side had to help him fling the heavy covering off.  
  
" Shinigami LIVES!"  
  
Glinting in the harsh lights of the compound, Deathscythe Hell and Wing Zero lay in all their Gundanium splendour. Scrambling up to the hatch on Deathscythe's chest, Duo punched in a pre-programmed code and then jumped to the ground, grinning.  
  
" I LOVE this part!"  
  
The Maganacs burst into laughter as Deathscythe Hell rose to it's feet and stalked over to its new resting place next to Shenlong, it's braided pilot waving his arms around like some demented scientist crying, " It's ALIVE! It's ALIVE!"  
  
Heero shook his head in wry amusement as he activated his own Gundam to set down beside Deathscythe. After making sure both Gundams were secured, he turned back around in time to see Duo launch himself off the platform and into a small, blond-haired man.  
  
" Quatre!!" Duo yelped as he glomped the Arabian pilot, who staggered back under the American's assault, giggling the whole time.  
  
" Hello Duo!" Quatre hugged the American back, and then pulled away slightly so he could see Heero. " And to you too, Heero!"  
  
Heero nodded, watching with faint jealousy as Duo hugged Quatre one more time before letting him go. " Quatre."  
  
Duo was already prowling around the blond like a nervous cat, looking all over the place. Finally he gave up and pointed at Quatre.  
  
" So where is he?"  
  
" Where's who?"  
  
" The Unibanger!" Duo grinned. " Where is he? You keepin' him locked in your closet Quat-man?"  
  
" Actually, I keep him locked in mine," came a dry voice from behind him. Duo spun around.  
  
" TROWA!"  
  
Trowa stoically endured one of Duo's patented spine-crushing hugs, but the sparkle in his eye gave him away. Duo pulled away and grinned.  
  
" I better stop before I make Quatre jealous, neh?" he teased. Quatre flamed red to the roots of his blond hair.  
  
" Duo!"  
  
" Kidding! Kidding!" Duo yelped as Heero's hand snaked behind him and delivered a sharp tug to his braid.  
  
" ITAI! Yeesh, always with the hair!" Duo scowled and backed out of range, petting the brown tail with an injured air. Heero ignored him as he delivered his own greeting to Trowa.  
  
" Where's Wufei?" he asked casually.  
  
" I am here. " Wufei appeared in the doorway, absently smoothing a non- existent wrinkle in his immaculate white pants. He eyed them all. " Greetings."  
  
" Wu-chan!" Duo crowed. Wufei's eyebrows twitched involuntarily, and he automatically reached for his sword. It wasn't in its usual place of honour at his hip. _Damn_. Duo approached him at warp speed, barrelling into the Chinese pilot. " Wu-chan!"  
  
" Get OFF of me Maxwell!" Wufei growled out between gritted teeth. Duo squeezed him once more before climbing off. Wufei got to his feet and deliberated whether or not he wanted to smack the braided baka upside the head. Looking at the American's obvious delight in seeing him however, momentarily derailed his anger and he sighed once. [1] " Hello Maxwell. Heero."  
  
Heero grunted, hand half raised in greeting. Duo bounded back to his side and Heero felt a small surge of.... happiness?...at the pilot's apparently automatic gesture. Then he shook his head. There would be time enough later on to sit down and analyze his feelings. He looked at Quatre who was safely ensconced once again in Trowa's arms and felt another pang of jealousy. He scowled blackly at his traitorous hormones. _ I said, LATER_!  
  
" Is there a place where we can talk privately Quatre?" he asked, picking up his duffel bag. Quatre nodded and then swatted Heero's hands off the bag.  
  
" The main drawing room," Quatre nodded. " And leave your bags alone - Rashid will get them. You know the rules!"  
  
Duo chuckled. " You'd think we'd have learned our lessons last time." Memories of Rashid looming over them threateningly made him giggle out loud.  
  
Heero allowed a faint smirk on his face as he dug through the bag, pulling out his laptop. Rashid then scooped up his and Duo's bag and preceded them into the house.  
  
Quatre led the way into the drawing room as a servant darted forwards to open the large bay windows. A light breeze off the nearby ocean swept into the room, bringing with it the faint salty sea spray and ruffling the hair of everyone in the room.  
  
Duo flopped down on a large, wood-framed futon with a thick white mattress, sinking into it's depths with a sigh.  
  
" Ummm..." he murmered, stretching his legs out and lacing his fingers behind his head. " This is the life."  
  
Heero snorted as he sat next to the American. Duo inwardly cheered with glee when the Perfect Soldier joined him. _Maybe, just maybe_, he thought wistfully. Quatre cleared his throat.  
  
" Well, we all know why we're here, right?" he asked, not really expecting anyone to reply in the negative.  
  
" The base is approximately fifty miles from here," Heero stated from his seated position. " We can be there in under twenty minutes."  
  
" What kind of defences are we talking about? Trowa spoke up from where he stood next to the window.  
  
" The Maganacs reported mostly Leos and Aries. A few new test Scorpios, but pretty much the norm," Quatre said. Wufei crossed his arms and nodded.  
  
" What about data retrieval?"  
  
Heero looked at Wufei. " Duo is the best at infiltration, and I can crack any Oz security code they have. The two of us will go in and retrieve the data."  
  
Duo grinned at the compliment and didn't deny it. " Piece of cake, dude!" he said in a thick surfer's accent, throwing them a thumb's up. Quatre laughed and then quickly sobered, wanting to bring up something he'd been thinking about ever since receiving his new orders.  
  
" Does anyone else get the feeling something isn't quite right though?" he asked unexpectedly, looking at all of them.  
  
Duo looked at the blond as though he'd grown a second head. " Since when has anything we've done, ever been considered normal?"  
  
" I know what you mean, " Heero interjected quietly. " I read the data Dr. J sent - why would Oz be constructing black holes?"  
  
" To quote you: 'That's what we're supposed to find out, baka!'" Duo snickered at his partner.  
  
" Whatever they're doing, my space heart is telling me something...dangerous, is coming. " Quatre rubbed his chest absently. Trowa looked at him in concern.  
  
" Then we shall just take more care then usual," Wufei shrugged. He looked at Duo. " Or in some cases, take care for the first time in their life?"  
  
Duo stuck his tongue out. " Love ya too, Wu-chan!"  
  
" Baka," Wufei muttered.  
  
" I suggest we get some rest," Quatre said, clapping his hands together briskly. As though it were an unspoken command, servants appeared and scurried into the room, tyding it up and closing the windows. Rashid stood patiently by the door to escort the young men to their respective rooms. Quatre took one last look at the sky before the curtains were completely closed.  
  
_Something dangerous is coming_, he thought again as Trowa took his arm and led him out of the room. _But what_?  
  
    
  
End Part 2A  
  
1.2 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.2.1 Part 2B  
  
   
  
(Year: 2000 Location: Westchester, New York)  
  
A somewhat feral looking man sat cross-legged in the middle of the huge lawn in front of what appeared to be a large school. Somewhat shaded by the branches of a large sycamore tree, the man sat, seemingly oblivious to the sounds of nature and the world around him. The wind rustled once, warningly. An ear twitched. Heightened senses caught the near inaudible sonic whine of a Shi'ar engine. Getting to his feet in one smooth motion, the man known to his friends as Logan, loped into the large mansion.  
  
Through the decorative hallway, past the old paintings and marble busts on their pedestals, towards the large room that served as the office of Professor Xavier. Without bothering to knock, Logan pushed the door open.  
  
" Cajun's back," he said simply in a low guttural voice; then turned around and headed for the elevator.  
  
" Thank you Logan."  
  
Professor Xavier's golden hover chair, yet another gift of the technologically advanced Shi'ar race, moved smoothly around the desk and he joined Logan in the hallway. A faint 'whoosh indicated the arrival of the elevator car and the metal doors slid open, allowing the two men to enter.  
  
" Sub-Basement," Xavier spoke clearly. Logan merely sniffed and reached into the pocket of the tattered, red flannel shirt he wore. Taking out a cigar, he bit off the end, took out a light and proceeded to blow smoke rings into the small room. The professor sighed as he activated the ventilation system.  
  
" You do that deliberately."  
  
" Yup." Teeth gleamed in a snarling smile that would have sent most men running for the hills. Professor X merely returned the smile, albeit somewhat ruefully.  
  
The elevator slid to a halt and the computerized voice confirmed that they were now indeed at the sub-basement level. The doors opened up to reveal a brightly lit hallway, completely encased in metal. Logan's steel-toed cowboy boots struck the floor with a metallic ring that nearly blocked out the soft humming of the hover chair. Various doorways branched off from the main corridor but the two men continued in silence until they reached the far end. Another set of doors opened at their approach, leading into an extremely large, underground hangar.  
  
Taking up the most space was a large black jet that gleamed. Sleek and powerful, it stood there silently, waiting for it's next mission. To the one side of it, a smaller, one-man jet that could have passed for the twin of Remy's plane, had its side panels open, in the midst of an apparent upgrade. Half a torso hung out of the guts of the plane. Logan snorted.  
  
" Incoming, Cyke."  
  
The torso revealed that it did have an upper half as a head popped up over the panel.  
  
" Remy?"  
  
" Who else?" The sarcasm was not lost on anyone.  
  
Scott Summers, codenamed Cyclops, [2] stepped away from the small jet and grabbed a rag from the toolkit on the ground next to him. He nodded a greeting to the Professor and Logan.  
  
" Where's Jean?" the professor asked curiously. Scott smiled - the question was a mere formality. If he so chose, Professor Xavier could have told Scott the exact location of anyone in the X-mansion. It was one of the perks of being the most powerful telepath on the planet.  
  
But as he had learned from his experience with Onslaught, with great power came great responsibility. Never one to indulge in psychic frivolity before, the Professor now worked harder then ever to avoid intruding on other's thoughts without their permission.  
  
" She's in the war room," Scott answered. A powerfully built young man, he had short brown hair but the color of his eyes was not immediately apparent to the casual viewer. Cyclops wore a red, ruby-quartz visor that turned everything he saw into shades of red. The man who's looks could literally kill, Scott Summers head housed powerful optic beams of monumentally destructive force. The visor kept this power in check.  
  
A warning alarm went off and across the vast room, a ramp opened up in the wall, revealing its holographically hidden location in the mountainside adjacent to the Westchester school. Logan moved to one side and watched, cigar dangling between his teeth loosely as the whines he heard from the engine before, came back in full force.  
  
The mini-jets engines all but purred as it glided down the runway, hovering a few feet above the ground. Touching down softly, the hatch opened and Remy Lebeau hopped out of the cockpit in one fluid motion. Remy flicked his sunglasses off his nose to hang against his chest as he sauntered over to the three men.  
  
" A welcoming party for Remy?" he asked with a sly grin. " Ya shouldn't have."  
  
" S'why we didn't," grunted Logan. " Rogue fill ya in?"  
  
" Somewhat," Remy shrugged. Anything else he would have said was cut off as another side door opened and a young woman, clad neck to toe in tight green material came through at high speed.  
  
" Remy!"  
  
Rogue flew through the air and crashed into the Cajun, hugging him tightly. Remy returned the embrace.  
  
" So you DID miss me, huh Chere?"  
  
" Idiot," she muttered grinning. Placing her gloved hand over his mouth, she kissed the back of it. Unable to touch anyone, skin to skin, she had to improvise until she learned to control her power. And Remy didn't mind at all. He winked at her and wrapped one arm securely around her waist.  
  
Cyclops cleared his throat.  
  
" You know who stole the space generator?"  
  
Remy's eyes suddenly lost the amused look and became hooded. " Yah. Sinister." He spat out the word as though it tasted foul in his mouth. " Everyone okay?"  
  
" Fine," the Professor nodded. " I myself was out talking with various mutant rights groups. Most of the others were out relaxing - Mr. Sinister had been waiting for just such an opportunity."  
  
" Yeah, he does that, doesn't he?" Remy mused darkly. " Defence no good?"  
  
Wolverine snorted. " When it comes to Sinister and defences, nothing works except the X-men themselves. Even the deadly stuff don't bother him - just throws one his little cronies into the line of fire, knowing if it kills them, he can always clone a new batch in the morning."  
  
Rogue shook her head. " Dirty little rat," she growled. " And with the stuff he stole...heck, Ah'm not sure Ah wanna know what he's up to."  
  
" Got no choice, Chere - was in de job description when yah join de team."  
  
Scott suddenly tilted his head to one side, seemingly listening intently. Then he nodded and looked at the others.  
  
" Jean's got a weak fix on where Sinister is."  
  
" What?" Remy looked disbelievingly at his leader. " We could never find him before - why now?"  
  
" Combo tracking device and something about mutant residue," Logan said, sucking in the evil-smelling smoke emanating from his cigar. He shook his head. " Makes me think of something ya'd scrape off yer shoe or something."  
  
" Residual energy left over from the tests we did on the machine using Franklin's energy signature," the Professor elaborated. " The machine itself tends to store up energy - not a good thing over a long period of time. Build up of temporal energy - the kind Franklin's powers produced as a side effect - tends to be extremely unstable, and registers quite high on normal energy meters. Jean was using Cerebro to track down the temporal energy leftover from what we were experimenting with - and it sounds like she was successful."  
  
Scott nodded. Remy and Rogue exchanged a look. " Suuuuuurrrrrrre, " they chorused. Scott rolled his eyes as he led his team to the door. Logan followed behind, an amused smirk on his face.  
  
    
  
   
  
Jean looked up from the holographic map in the centre of the room as the quintet entered. Storm and Beast were already there, waiting patiently Scott went immediately to his wife and greeted her quietly. Storm smiled when she saw Remy.  
  
" Welcome back Remy. I trust you took care of your business?"  
  
" You betcha Stormy!"  
  
The weather goddess's lips curled in a faint grimace. " Please do not call me that."  
  
Beast waved at them all jovially from where he was perched upside down, feet clinging to the wide beams above his head. " Greetings and salutations all! And Gambit, our travelling compatriot, back among the fold - you're just in time for the expedient retrieval of our temporal matter converter and generator that was stolen by the villainous cur, by possible virtue of power displays and fisticuffs!"  
  
" Huh?"  
  
" We're gonna get back the stuff Sinster took in a big ol' brawl," Rogue translated. She smirked at the Beast. " Ah know my share of ten dollar words too!"  
  
" I am in utter awe, Rogue."  
  
" Ya should be, Fuzzy!"  
  
" If we might cease this childish behaviour," the Professor said, a teasing light in his eye. " I do believe Jean has something to share with us. If you would, Jean?"  
  
" Thank you sir." Jean indicated the large, three-dimensional map hovering in front of them. " Using a modified version of Cerebro, I managed to track down the location of Sinister's latest laboratory. It's in what appears to be an abandoned building, on the outskirts of New York City."  
  
" Always in an abandoned building," Logan snorted. " Ya'd think these so called super villains get all the ideas from the same comic book or something."  
  
Remy snickered. The Professor looked at him in concern.  
  
" I know dealing with Sinister isn't something you're looking forward to Remy."  
  
Remy eyed the professor somewhat suspiciously. " You snoopin' 'round my mind, Prof?"  
  
" Certainly not. But you're broadcasting - quite strongly, I might add. If this bothers you, you do not have to be a part of this. No one would blame you."  
  
Remy weighed his words carefully, before finally settling on what to say. " I'd blame me," he sighed. " Sinister's another one o' my messes I gotta help clean up. 'Side's - you don't t'ink I'd back away from a fight, do ya?" He shook his head, not waiting for an answer. " I be honest w'it ya - de t'ought of seein' Sinister again freaks me right out. But I ain't gonna sit 'round, twiddlin' my t'umbs when I could be helpin'."  
  
Cyclops nodded. He'd expected Gambit's answer to be along those lines. Jean sent him a small smile and Rogue tightened her grip on his hand in a silently supportive gesture. Wolverine looked bored.  
  
" So when we leaving?" he asked casually. Cyclops straightened.  
  
" Psylocke and Warren are unavailable right now. The team so far consists of me, Jean, Beast, Storm, Gambit, Rogue and you Wolverine." [3]  
  
" Seven, huh?" Remy brushed a lock of hair from his eyes. " I'd prefer de whole team."  
  
" So would I. But unfortunately we can't wait that long." Beast leaned forward, placing his large hands on the console. " Think about the implications of what Sinister could do with that equipment! Import soldiers, warriors, foreign diseases, high technology - anything he wants from millions of dimension. And he can do it too - he's a brilliant scientist, regardless of how twisted he is."  
  
" Agreed. " Cyclops looked piercingly at Remy. " We leave as soon as the Blackbird is prepped. Are you in?"  
  
Remy nodded once. His hand slipped out his pocket, holding a card. The Ace of Spades. He concentrated and it burst into pinkish flame, yet the card itself remained unburnt. He held it up and looked at it, looked at THEM. " Let's do it," he said simply and tossed the card behind his shoulder. The card exploded in a tiny puff of smoke as Gambit called the power back into him before it could do any real damage. " De sooner we go, de sooner we done."  
  
Scott nodded. " Let's go."  
  
    
  
End Part 2B  
  
Notes:  
  
1. I am one of the ones that believes Wuei likes Duo as a friend a lot more then he lets on. He may yell at him, but I think he truly values the American as a close pal. *smirks* And even if he doesn't....*holds up piece of paper* ...here's my creative license to do what I want! OOC be darned!  
  
2. As you can plainly tell *grins*, this is done in a timeline where Scott Summers is still alive. Again - I'm not following the continuity of either universe to the letter!  
  
3. I haven't completely decided on the full X-roster yet but it looks like this may be it. I may throw in Cecilia Reese later on when we need medical people....maybe Nightcrawler - I think him and Duo would get along....who wants to see Wufei have a sparring match with ninja girl Kitty Pryde?? I'm open to suggestions!  
  
  
  
1.3 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.3.1 Part 2C  
  
   
  
" AARRGH!!!" Quatre gritted his teeth as laser fire tore into his Gundam. The thick armour wasn't pierced, but the resulting explosions rocked the Gundam, throwing Quatre around in his harness. " That was close."  
  
" 04! Are you all right?" Trowa's anxious voice came through the communicator. Quatre chuckled grimly.  
  
" I'm fine, 03. That Leo just took me by surprise!"  
  
Teeth set, Quatre dove back into the fray. Bullets covered his back as Heavyarms sprayed a wide range of fire, driving back the air-born Aries that tried to attack from above. Activating his scimitars, Quatre let out a surprisingly feral yell as he sliced and diced his way through the front line. Decimated, the remaining Leos tried to retreat in order to regroup, but a burst of orange fire swept through them. Quatre wiped the sweat out of his eyes and grinned at the dragon Gundam.  
  
" Thanks 05!"  
  
" A pleasure," came Wufei's voice. " The Aries have regrouped."  
  
" Let's go!" Sandrock leaped into the air, twin blades flashing as he first sheared one flying mobile suit in half, and then thrust both scimitar into the guts of another. Wufei let out a battle cry.  
  
Trowa navigated his Gundam smoothly through two Scorpios that lashed out at him with whip-like appendages of razor-sharpness. One scored a direct hit and he felt the power die in his right arm.  
  
" Damn!"  
  
" 03?" Quatre's head snapped up. He saw the large red and gold Gundam fighting the Scorpios with only his arm canon. Knowing the huge Gundam would soon be out of bullets, he thumbed the communicator.  
  
" 05! 03 needs some backup! Are you okay here?"  
  
Wufei chuckled harshly as his dragon claw slammed into the chest plate of a mobile suit foolish enough to try and sneak up on him.  
  
" I will be fine. Help 03."  
  
" Thank you!" Quatre breathed, and took off across the battlefield that had sprung up out of what was once a laboratory parking lot. Wufei grunted as more firepower struck the faceplate of his Gundam, nearly toppling him. He growled, throwing a glance at the lab.  
  
_Maxwell and Heero had better hurry_!  
  
    
  
   
  
" Shhhhhhhh!" Heero and Duo flattened themselves against the wall as they heard the running footsteps of soldiers drawing closer. As the squadron passed them, Duo breathed a sigh of relief and motioned for Heero to follow him. Recalling the laboratory blueprints from memory, Duo made a sharp right at the first intersection in the hallway they came across and found themselves face-to-face with a solid metal door. Heero grunted and kept watch as Duo inspected the lock.  
  
" Can you get it open?"  
  
Duo shook his head. " Not in the amount of time we need to. Give me an hour and I'd have it - but we're gonna have to do something a little different."  
  
Heero couldn't help but laugh at the look of pure maniacal glee on Duo's face as he held out what looked like a lump of modelling clay. Duo attached it to the wall, connecting the wires and arming the detonator. " Let's go."  
  
The two of them sprinted down the hallway to the first doorway and leaned against the wall again. Duo held up his fingers.  
  
Three.... two.... one....  
  
A loud explosion rocked the hallway, sending bits of metal and debris flying. Duo grinned. " Oh yeah."  
  
The two of them raced back to the door and Duo noted with satisfaction that he had guessed the correct amount of C4 needed and the exact location of the inner lock. " I am So good."  
  
Heero couldn't help but agree. Mischievous and playful the boy may be - but he was a terrorist at heart. And no one was better then Duo when it came to blowing things up. Except when it came to self-destructing - Heero still held that record.  
  
Once inside, Heero quickly counted only three scientists in the room. One of them reached for a gun on the counter and Heero calmly put a bullet through the man's heart. The other two froze. Duo scampered forwards and herded them together while Heero went straight to the main computer. He began searching the root directories, slipping a blank CD into the drive to save everything he found. Duo looked up from where he had tied the scientists up - and froze.  
  
" Heero?" he asked in an odd tone. " What is THAT?"  
  
Heero growled, annoyed at being pulled away from his computer search - until he saw what Duo was looking at.  
  
A metal spider web of tubes and cross pieces stood beyond the banks of computer terminals. Interlocked pieces of metal gave it a circular framework, which was brought that particular image to Duo's mind. The centre was black. Deep black. Pulsing black - Duo stared harder. It looked like the damn thing had a heartbeat!  
  
Heero stared and turned back to the computer quickly, determined to find out what it was. Duo decided to take the obvious approach. He waved his gun in the face of the scientists.  
  
" What IS that?" He casually kicked the body of the dead scientist at his feet. " And don't bother acting tough, okay? Not if you want to live."  
  
One man collapsed, and the other looked up fearfully.  
  
" It's an experiment we're working on - one that was just recently successful! You can't kill us now - it's the discovery of a century!" The man looked about ready to cry.  
  
Duo squatted down until he was looking directly into the man's eyes. " What experiment?"  
  
" A black hole!"  
  
Duo abruptly straightened and looked back at the...thing. " That's a black hole?"  
  
" Well..." The scientist hedged.  
  
" It's the same principle bit it's got different properties," Heero said, appearing next to Duo, holding the CD in one hand. Duo gave him a blank look. Heero motioned at the framework of metal. " Think of an energy converter - and think of the way mobile suits are able to take existing energy from space and use it to increase their speed. They're automatically converting different energy into what they need." [1]  
  
Duo nodded. " Go on."  
  
" A black hole is nothing but energy - sort of. It doesn't convert anything, it just is. At least, that's the way these guys were thinking."  
  
" So that's a storage tank that changes energy. What's it change to?" Duo asked, brows wrinkling in confusion.  
  
" We're not sure yet," blurted out the scientist. " You see - this is all unprecedented - we're using a piece of machinery that we found here - that is made of a material we've never seen before!"  
  
" Where'd it come from?" Duo asked him sharply. The man shook his head.  
  
" Not from earth. At least, THIS earth."  
  
Duo's eyes widened - and then narrowed. " Don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking."  
  
The scientist nodded fractionally. " Teleportation. Or at least, a version of it. But not just from one PLACE to another--"  
  
" From one WORLD to another?" Heero's face had lost the blank neutrality Duo hated so much and now looked interested. The scientist nodded again.  
  
" Exactly."  
  
" Okay, yeah. Sure - tell ya what, how 'bout I go get my comic books 'cause they'd make a whole lot more sense then you are right now!" Duo said, raking a hand through his unruly banks. The scientist glowered.  
  
" It's true! We were about to make history - and then YOU showed up!"  
  
" Tough. " Duo shrugged. The man leaped to his feet and slammed his fist into a console, striking a button that had been previously covered with glass. So quickly did he move, that for once, both Heero and Duo were caught off guard. Lights began to flash and alarms began going off all over the base. Heero and Duo fired catching the man in the chest and the head with pinpoint accuracy. The man was dead before his body hit the ground.  
  
" SHIT!" Duo swore as he watched everything start exploding.  
  
    
  
   
  
(Interlude)  
  
Sinister made a final modification on the black metal box, watching it pulse and hum with energy. Threnody stood behind him calmly.  
  
" It's ready," he murmured, splaying his fingers over the top. " I'll have to remember to thank the dear Professor for doing such elegant work."  
  
He turned away from the machine and went back to his computer. Pressing a few buttons, he watched as a black swirling appeared in the small metal gateway he'd constructed. Behind him, Threnody watched impassively.  
  
" Threnody, my dear. We are about to make history," he chortled. " Do you know what this is?"  
  
" No, master," Threnody answered, staring at the machine with faint interest.  
  
" Professor Xavier, and the equally brilliant Dr. Henry McCoy were doing some fascinating experiments with this machine," he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. " Using that child's mutanagenic signature to create a dimensional portal - I never would have thought them capable of such a feat." A faint scowl touched his face. " I'm almost ashamed of myself - I should have thought of it first." He spared a glance at the vials of test tubes that he knew were locked away in his laboratory. " Franklin Richards is one of the few mutants of whom I do NOT have a sample of DNA."  
  
Threnody looked at him quizzically.  
  
" I don't have much time," Sinister said as he began inputting a sequence of codes. " Over twenty-four hours have passed - I can safely assume that the Professor and his X-men--" he hissed the words. "--are searching for me as we speak. I can't even confirm this - THIS--" he waved at the machine. "- -is taking up every spare bit of power I have to maintain."  
  
He pressed another button. " Riptide. Report to me at once."  
  
A few seconds later, a side door opened, and a whirling dervish entered the room, a shock of wild hair and ripped clothing as the mutant cyclone known as Riptide entered the room. Of course, this was not the original Riptide - he was merely a clone, many times over, courtesy of Sinister's twisted brilliance. " Yes, Master?"  
  
" You will be the first test subject," Sinister said, smiling evilly. The clone gulped - even if he died, he knew his brain waves were recorded and would be transferred to another clone. Still - dying hurt like hell. If it was all the same to anyone, he'd rather not. But you don't say that to Sinister. Ever.  
  
" Yes sir."  
  
Riptide moved closer to the metal gate as Sinister turned the power on full- blast.  
  
    
  
   
  
Duo and Heero burst out of the laboratory at a dead run, sprinting as deadly fire blossomed and chased after them, nipping at their heels.  
  
They hit the ground, rolling as the main doors exploded behind them. Duo felt the wind shear past him and he unconsciously touched his braid, making sure it was still there. " Damn that was close!"  
  
Shenlong and Heavyarms suddenly touched down, carrying Deathscythe and Wing Zero. Duo blinked. " Huh?"  
  
" The remaining mobile suits fled as soon as the alarms went off," said Sandrock as it appeared. " We'd better get out of here."  
  
Duo and Heero raced up their Gundams, thanking profusely that the other three remained to shield them from the intense heat surrounding them. Suddenly Quatre's voice came over the speakers again.  
  
" Uh...what's that?"  
  
Duo froze in the middle of climbing into Deathscythe's cockpit. " Oh shit."  
  
Heero, already in Zero's cockpit, watched as a final explosion brought forth a wave of what looked like black firepower towards them. He had a split second to realize it looked remarkably like the energy they had seen floating within the centre. He agreed with Duo.  
  
Black thunder washed over them, blotting out the light. Heero had the impression of falling and he heard the cries of his partners. Then there was nothing.  
  
    
  
   
  
The Blackbird touched down at the side of the building Jean had directed them too. The ramp slid down and Scott led the way. Rogue and Storm flew overhead taking up their ariel positions while Gambit slunk into the shadows next to the abandoned warehouse. Wolverine and Beast extended their heightened senses, following behind Cyclops as he and Jean ran towards the main doors. Suddenly, they felt the ground rumble and then, the world exploded.  
  
" Remy!" Rogue dove through the sky and scooped up the Cajun, pulling him away from a falling piece of scaffolding. Jean erected a telekinetic shield over herself, Cyclops and Beast. Storm generated a small whirlwind that succeeded in keeping the debris from touching either herself or Logan. A few minutes later, they all felt a surge of power and Jean automatically tightened her shield. then everything stopped. Storm touched down, Rogue and Gambit right behind her.  
  
" Y'all get the impression we missed the party?" Rogue asked sarcastically. Cyclops didn't bother to answer as he began ploughing through the debris. Suddenly, his optic beam was deflected off a shiny metal surface and stopped.  
  
" What the--" Not much could reflect his optic beams - they tended to pulverize, not bounce off. " Storm?"  
  
Storm nodded and rose into the air. " Mother Goddess of the earth, lend me your strength," she murmured. Feeling the wispy connection between herself and the planet strengthen, she smiled. Blue eyes flashed silvery-white as the winds began to pick up at her silent command. Jean extended her shield to cover everybody as the weather goddess raised her arms and let the winds flow.  
  
Dirt, wooden boards, metal beams, whole walls began to fly around in a dizzying spiral as Storm worked her mutant powers. Taxing as it was, Storm nonetheless revelled in the feeling of nature's fury, whipping around her.  
  
" And that's why we call her the weather witch," Beast smiled as he watched his friend work. Debris piled up to the sides, the wind clearing away the garbage far faster then what they could have done alone. Finally, everything had been removed and there stood lay five large...machines.  
  
" Sacre bleu!" Gambit breathed as he looked at the metal monsters. " Sentinels?"  
  
" They don't look like any Sentinels [2] Ah've ever seen sugah," Rogue said as she scratched her head thoughtfully. Beast bounded forwards, eyes bright with unbridled excitement.  
  
" Dear Gods....he did it!"  
  
" Did what?" Cyclops snapped his head around to look at the bouncing scientist. " Hank?"  
  
Wolverine was already prowling around the machine, sniffing curiously. Then he did a double take, eyes widening.  
  
" There's something human in there!"  
  
That snapped everyone back into place. Rogue and Gambit went up to the first one, made of red and gold metal. Rogue examined it carefully.  
  
" Where's a can opener when ya need one?" she muttered. Gambit smiled.  
  
" I t'ink the entrance is right here, chere." He pointed at the locking mechanism on the chest plate. Rogue nodded and was about to rip the lock off when Gambit stopped her and tapped a finger to the lock. A jolt of pinkish flame and the lock died with a small explosion. Rogue pouted at the unrepentant Remy.  
  
" Show off."  
  
She pulled the hatch open and gasped. Hanging, unconscious inside a leather harness, was a young boy, slender with long brown bangs that fell over his eyes. Gambit reached past her and instantly felt the boy's neck, checking for a pulse. " He's alive!"  
  
" So's this one," grunted Wolverine as he hoisted a small blond boy over his shoulder and climbing down off the sandy-colored mecha. Storm and Beast were prying open the hatch of a white Gundam with a dragon claw on the one hand.  
  
" I think a feat of brute strength might be more prodigious at this juncture, rather then your usual elegance, my dear," Hank said as he grasped the hatch and pulled it open, muscles flexing. Storm smiled at him.  
  
" I would have to agree."  
  
Inside, Storm gasped as she saw the limp form of a young Chinese boy. " Merciful Gaia," she breathed. Henry quickly examined the youth, and a relieved smile crossed his fanged mouth.  
  
" He's alive, merely 'cold-cocked' as our comrade Wolverine might say."  
  
" Thank heavens," Storm murmured.  
  
Jean telekinetically manipulated the locks of the black machine. While doing so, she let her awareness brush inside the robot, searching for an active mind. Finding none, she became worried and finally used her power to rip open the hatch. Nothing. She searched the cockpit, noting the empty harness.  
  
" There's no one here!" she called out to her team-mates. Cyclops looked up from where he was blasting open another white Gundam. He looked down.  
  
" Well, there's one in here! And he's awake!" Jean flew over and helped him remove the semi-conscious boy from his confining harness. He struggled weakly in their grasp and Jean tried to sooth him.  
  
::Relax:: she sent telepathically. The boy froze and cobalt-blue eyes pierced her own. Dazed they might be, but she could still recognize hostility when she saw it.  
  
" We're friends, " she said. " We're not going to hurt you."  
  
She reinforced this idea with soothing thoughts and she felt him calm down somewhat. He opened his mouth and tried to speak.  
  
" wh...where's...m-my.."  
  
Jean searched his mind and saw the images of the other three boys they had found, as well as one they didn't find - one with a long brown braid. She looked a little deeper and connected the boy with the braid, to the empty black Gundam she had searched.  
  
" You're friends are okay," she assured him. " We're going to help you. Just calm down."  
  
" D-Duo?...where...h-has...braid...."  
  
Again, the connection was made, and she bit her lip, unsure of what to tell him. The boy sensed her uncertainty and his eyes flew open. Jean read his mind again, wincing at the lack of diplomacy in regards to such use of her powers, but knew it couldn't be helped. She picked out the names.  
  
" Quatre, Trowa and Wufei will be fine." She then hesitated. The boy's eyes pinned hers. " We can't find Duo."  
  
" How..."  
  
Jean lifted the boy carefully with her powers. Cyclops let them go by as he began thinking of a way to transport the machines to the mansion. Jean looked down at the boy as she moved.  
  
" I'm a telepath," she said gently. " Now go to sleep. We'll find your friend."  
  
" Duo..."  
  
Cobalt eyes slid shut as Jean mentally put him to sleep. She put him on the last med-bed in the blackbird. The Beast was inspecting all of them.  
  
" Shock, minor burns and some cuts and scrapes," he said cheerfully. " Absolutely nothing life-threatening. A good night's rest and they'll be on their feet."  
  
" Good," Jean said with relief. Cyclops stuck his head in the door.  
  
" I've got the first two tied to the Blackbird - she should be able to lift them." The Beast nodded.  
  
" The Blackbird's a tough old gal," he agreed. Rogue stood next to Gambit.  
  
" Ah can carry one," she offered. " The mansion ain't that far and Ah've carried two sentinels together before."  
  
Scott nodded. " Then that just leaves the last two - the Professor is sending out Blackbird 2 on autopilot. It'll be here in a minute and we can attach the other two to her."  
  
Wolverine growled as he returned from his little search mission.  
  
" I checked the whole area, Cyke. Sinister was here, with what smells like Riptide. but he must have transported nearly everything."  
  
" But how?"  
  
" He's got members of the old Brotherhood [3] working for him," Wolverine shrugged. " Wouldn't be surprised if he got that teleportin' freak chick Fatale to move everything. I can smell it."  
  
" Including a boy?" Jean's voice broke in. " One of them is missing."  
  
" How do you--never mind," Rogue grinned sheepishly. " Dumb question."  
  
" Why would the other four be inside their machines, and the fifth one not?" Cyclops asked. Remy lit a cigarette and taped the ash away as he joined the conversation.  
  
" Looks like you're gonna have t' wait until dey wake up den, non?"  
  
    
  
   
  
Sinister growled as he stalked around his laboratory. Threnody flinched each time he passed her but didn't stop from her work, organizing all the misplaced papers that had spilled during the move. Riptide was noticeably absent - destroyed by absorbing the brunt of the explosion. The beautiful Asian assassin Fatale stood by the doorway.  
  
" May I take my leave now, Mr. Sinister," she asked him. Sinister flung his arm at her and she nodded once. An implosion of air and she was gone, not to return until Sinister bade her to. Sinister growled again.  
  
" What happened.... the calculations were exact. Such an explosion must have been caused by outside forces. And instead of getting weapons or warriors..." Sinister stopped pacing and stared up at the large tank and the contents within. " I get THIS!"  
  
" Still, it may be useful..." Sinister muttered as he replayed the scene over again, walking out of the laboratory, Threnody right behind him, slamming the door as they left.  
  
And in the tank, a pair of violet, pain-hazed eyes opened slightly before drifting shut again, a long brown braid floating behind him.  
  
    
  
End Part 2C  
  
Oh I'm so mean....But I don't mean to be! Duo's just fun to pick on!  
  
Notes:  
  
1. I don't pretend to be a scientist, but I do know black holes are about energy and matter. I just twisted it around a bit for my own dark purposes. Still, if anyone thinks this was a bit incoherent, let me know and I'll revise it.  
  
2. Sentinels are large robots that the government built as a method of controlling mutants. They aren't used much in today's Marvel world but Rogue was referring to back when they DID battle them.  
  
3. The Brotherhood was a gang put together by Havok (Alex Summers), brother to Scott Summers. Again - I just need Fatale to provide Sinister with an escape - he does use them after all - and the Brotherhood will not be making an appearance.  
  
C&C - PRETTY PLEASE WITH SUGAR ON TOP!! 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Into The Heart of Darkness  
  
Part: 3A/?  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warnings: Angst, light humour  
  
Pairings: 3x4 established, 1x2 forthcoming  
  
Archive: Jacky's page (addy's in the sig) and whoever else wants it!  
  
Please! Enjoy! And tell me if you did!  
  
   
  
   
  
1.1 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.1.1 Part 3A  
  
   
  
Beeping. It echoed rhythmically and steady in his ears. It annoyed him. Profusely. He must kill it. Mission accepted.  
  
Heero struggled to open his eyes but they seemed to have lead weights attached to them. His mouth tasted cottony and dry; he tried to swallow, and coughed instead.  
  
A rustling sound caught his attention and he heard a gentle voice telling him to wait. Seconds later, he felt hands helping him to a sitting position and the rim of a cup touched his lips. He drank greedily at first, wincing slightly as it stung his sore throat and his eyes opened completely. A beautiful red-haired woman sat next to his bed, calmly putting the cup back down on the table. Heero's eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the I.V in his arm and he reared up from the bed, ripping the needles out. The woman backed up slightly, still wearing the calm expression.  
  
" Calm down. No one's going to hurt you here. You're safe, Heero."  
  
The voice sounded vaguely familiar. Heero focused on her face even as his body tensed in readiness for an attack. If this were an OZ trick, he'd be ready. The woman held up her hands in a placating manner.  
  
" I promise you, you're safe here."  
  
Heero listened to her voice and awareness slowly crept into his mind even though the tenseness did not leave. The woman sighed.  
  
:: Maybe you remember this, hmm?::  
  
Heero jerked backwards in shock, slapping a hand to his head.  
  
" You," he whispered. " The telepath."  
  
" You DO remember," she chuckled. " I'm glad."  
  
Heero's eyes narrowed again as something else came to mind. He vaguely remembered being taken out of his...  
  
" What have you done with our Gundams?" he asked in steely tones. " And where are the other pilots?"  
  
The woman looked puzzled for a minute - and then her face cleared.  
  
" Are you referring to those robots we found you in?"  
  
For a minute, Heero had a mental image of the fit Wufei would throw if he heard a woman calling his Gundam a 'robot'.  
  
" Yes."  
  
" We've put them in our hangar. They're safe there. As you are here."  
  
Reinforcement of safety. Heero grunted. " And the pilots?"  
  
"--are all fine."  
  
The door suddenly slid open and Heero automatically reached for his gun. Finding it missing, he scowled blackly at the woman who's attentions shifted to the newcomer. Heero's eyes widened and his jaw actually dropped.  
  
A giant, fuzzy blue gorilla with fangs, a white lab coat and spectacles, and carrying a clipboard bounded into the room. Heero stared mutely, unable to say anything. [1]  
  
" And how's our patient today?"  
  
The gorilla headed for his bed and his fingers clenched. The red haired woman's eyes widened.  
  
" Beast, STOP!!"  
  
    
  
   
  
Jean had been satisfied with the progress she had been making with the brown-haired boy. She had felt him relaxing slightly - inwardly, she wondered why a boy his age would be so mistrusting and wary. When the door opened, she knew exactly what he'd been reaching for - the gun she'd found on him and moved to a safe location.  
  
_What kind of world did they come from_? she wondered.  
  
Jean had sensed Beast coming and was unsurprised by his appearance. Heero, however...Jean only had a split-second to register the shock and then the bizarre calmness of mind exhibited by Heero, as though some remote part of his brain had been turned on that shut off all emotion except what was needed to deal with the here and now. Heero attacked.  
  
The boy rolled off the bed with lightening quickness, striking his foot out and connecting with Beast's stomach. [2]  
  
" Oooooofff!!" Agile and quick as the Beast may be, he was unprepared for an attack from a child on a sickbed.  
  
Heero ducked and wound up in the corner of the room. His mind noted the lack of any windows, coming to the instant conclusion he was on some sub- terrain level and that the door was the only way out. He began analyzing possible escape routes as he watched the blue-furred man rub his stomach.  
  
::Stop!::  
  
Heero merely raised an eyebrow, his soldier mind already adjusting to the idea of telepathy, filing it away to use as a reference in the future. [3] Hank chuckled.  
  
" The boy packs quite a wallop!" he said. Jean sighed.  
  
" I'm sorry Hank. I should have warned him." She turned to Heero, marvelling at the feeling of deadly intent rolling off of him in waves. " Heero, I'm sorry. I should have prepared you. This is Dr. Henry McCoy, codenamed the Beast. He's been taking care of you and your friends."  
  
" Pleased to meet you, young man, " Hank smiled.  
  
Heero studied the man balefully, keenly noticing the words 'codename'. Jean stepped forwards.  
  
" Heero?"  
  
Blue eyes snapped back at her.  
  
" Where are the others?"  
  
Jean smiled again. " I'll take you to them."  
  
She gestured to the door and Heero moved towards it silently, keeping his eye on the bouncing blue doctor. Outside the room, Jean crossed the hallway and knocked once before opening it as a familiar voice answered. Heero slipped around her to see Trowa sitting on the bed where Quatre was currently lying. Both looked to be okay and Quatre seemed to be regarding Jean with some familiarity. He must have been one of the last ones to wake up, he reasoned. He was slightly disconcerted by that fact. Jean put her hands on her hips.  
  
" And when did you get out of bed?" she asked Trowa with mock sternness. Trowa shrugged and stared at her impassively. Quatre smiled.  
  
" Heero!"  
  
Heero stood next to the bed and gave them a quick once-over to see for himself that they were okay. He looked at Trowa who nodded fractionally. Quatre agreed.  
  
" We can trust these people Heero, " he said eagerly. " My space heart tells me so."  
  
Heero grunted and turned back to Jean. " Duo and Wufei."  
  
Jean's eyes went dark and she looked away, biting her lip. " Wufei is fine," she said. " He's one room ov--"  
  
" Where's Duo?" Heero cut her off, not liking the expression on her face.  
  
" We couldn't find him," admitted a voice from the door. A tall man wearing a visor walked into the room. " We only found the four of you." He stuck out his hand. " I'm Scott."  
  
Heero stared at the man, ignoring the hand. Scott shrugged and dropped it.  
  
" Maxwell is missing?" Wufei appeared in the doorway. He took in his friend's current state and seemed somewhat satisfied with their condition. " Was he not with Deathscythe?"  
  
Heero closed his eyes and tried to recall what had happened. He remembered a black wave coming towards him as he fastened his harness. He remembered Duo...his eyes snapped open.  
  
" He didn't make it into the cockpit!" he growled, anger and fear mixing together to create a deep wellspring of concern. " He was opening the hatch when that black thing hit us!"  
  
" So he might have been transported elsewhere," theorized Hank, stroking his furry chin thoughtfully. Quatre's eyes widened in concern.  
  
" Possibly another dimension altogether?" Scott asked, moving next to his wife who took his hand. Heero's gut tightened as he heard that and Quatre gasped out loud.  
  
" Nah, he's here," came a gruff voice from the busy doorway. Four heads snapped up and focused on him.  
  
" Logan - did you find him? " Jean asked hopefully. The feral man shook his head.  
  
" Nope - but I smelled 'em."  
  
The four pilots exchanged puzzled glances. Jean noticed their confusion and decided to explain.  
  
" Logan's a mutant. As we all are."  
  
" Mutant?" Trowa asked, speaking for the first time. Logan chuckled, somewhat amused at their naivety.  
  
" Guess they don't have those where they're from."  
  
" Mutants are humans that are born with special abilities."  
  
" Abilities?" Quatre asked this time.  
  
" What do you mean Duo's here?!" Heero slammed his fist into the table by the bedside, splintering it. THAT certainly recaptured their attention. Hank clucked his tongue disapprovingly as he noticed the long slivers now deeply embedded in Heero's fist. _He acts like he doesn't even feel it_.  
  
In reality, Heero didn't feel it at all. Al he knew was that somehow, they'd been transported to a strange world and Duo was missing. He stared fixedly at Logan, not even flinching as the wild man glared back at him. " You said you SMELLED him?"  
  
" Logan has extra-heightened senses as part of his mutant abilities," Scott explained. " He also has an accelerated healing factor - most injuries don't even faze him."  
  
" Sounds like Heero," Wufei commented. Hank picked up his ears.  
  
" Really?"  
  
" Yeah, I smelled him," Logan said, ignoring the chatter around them. He had to admit - he liked this Heero kid. Logan couldn't smell a hint of fear in the boy, only anger and concern for his team-mate. He nodded approvingly. Something in him told him that this boy wasn't used to feeling concern over someone - that's why he could sense Heero's anger so strongly. In an effort to understand, he'd wrongly identified it as anger instead of what it really was. Logan leaned against the wall. " He was there at one point. I was checking out those robot things--"  
  
Wufei's eyebrow twitched.  
  
"-- and caught a whiff of a scent on the black one that I smelled back at the warehouse. The kid, Duo or whatever, was there."  
  
Scott's lips thinned imperceptively and even Jean and the Beast looked sombre. Heero focused on Wolverine.  
  
" Is he dead?" he asked, in tones so quiet, they chilled. Logan shook his head. Heero let out a silent sigh of relief, his stomach unknotting and his heart obligingly climbing back down out of his throat and into his chest where it belonged.  
  
" Thank Allah," sighed Quatre. Wufei looked relieved and Trowa lifted his head.  
  
" Then where is he?"  
  
" Probably with Sinister," Beast murmured, eyes vacant. Heero pounced.  
  
" With who?"  
  
" One of our enemies," said Jean quietly. " Duo must have been caught in Fatale's teleportation radius and transported with Mr. Sinister."  
  
" Where?" Heero asked, already running through rescue scenarios. Quatre and Trowa seemed to be thinking the same thing. Wufei addressed Jean.  
  
" Your enemy is named Mr. Sinister?" He shook his head, a harsh laugh issuing out of his throat. Jean glared at him.  
  
" I wouldn't laugh Wufei," she said, and the serious tone in her voice cut through the dragon heir like a knife. " Sinister is a twisted, diabolical madman who delights in tormenting and torturing people. He's responsible for the suffering and deaths of so many innocent people--" Jean broke off and turned her head as memories of a group of people being slaughtered like cattle danced through her head.[4] " He's a monster."  
  
" And he's got Duo," Heero finished. Wufei bowed his head at Jean.  
  
" I apologize for my rudeness."  
  
Jean gave him a weak smile and nodded. Quatre seemed to be twisting the life out of the blankets covering his lap and Trowa captured the hands in a soothing gesture. Quatre leaned against him. At the sight of this, Jean smiled faintly, sensing the connection between the two. Scott noticed too, and he squeezed his wife's hand once.[5] Heero began pacing the length of the room.  
  
Duo was in the hands of a madman. Duo. Laughing, life-filled, violet-eyed Duo who loved ice cream sandwich's and stargazing on the roof of their safe houses. Heero felt a burning rage well up within him at the thought of his partner being in the hands of a man like Sinister seemed to be.  
  
::You care about him.::  
  
Heero glared at Jean who wore a sad expression.  
  
:: Stay out of my mind:: he mentally growled at her. Jean nodded, a faint blush colouring her cheeks. Heero felt the faint tingle leave his mind. He changed his look over to Scott who seemed to be the leader of the group.  
  
" We're going to rescue him." It wasn't a request.  
  
Scott nodded, already knowing that the professor would be monitering the conversation.  
  
:: Sir?::  
  
:: I'm here, Cyclops. I've already begun searching for Sinister's location using Cerebro. If we could find the signature once, we may be able to do so again.::  
  
:: Have you been listening the entire time?::  
  
:: Yes.:: The professor's mental voice sounded sad. :: They're so young, yet so old. There's images of such devastating pain literally radiating off them - it's all I can do to shield myself from the worst of it.::  
  
Scott frowned and looked at his wife who nodded, hearing what the professor had said. :: That bad, huh?::  
  
" Talk out loud," Heero growled at them. Jean looked at him in surprise and then laughed out loud - Heero had caught on pretty quick. Wufei raised an eyebrow. Quatre and Trowa looked puzzled.  
  
" She's a telepath," Heero said, jerking his thumb at Jean. Quatre's eyes widened and he clapped his hands.  
  
" How interesting!" he said, eyes shining. " You sense things too?"  
  
" Too?" Jean echoed. Quatre nodded.  
  
" My space heart lets me feel things - emotions of the people I care about, or am close to."  
  
" That sounds like an empath," commented Beast with interest. Logan snorted, knowing what would happen if he let this conversation continue.  
  
" Back to the kid...."  
  
" The professor's trying to track down Sinister," Scott announced. " Meanwhile, Hank is going to check you kids one more time and then we'll take you to the hangar so you can see for yourselves that your robots are okay."  
  
Wufei's other eyebrow twitched.  
  
Quatre noticed and smothered a laugh. " They're called Gundams, sir."  
  
" And I'm called Scott, or Cyclops," Scott answered. " I'm not old enough to be a sir, yet."  
  
" I'd like to know more about your Gundams," Beast said eagerly, barely containing his excitement. " I've never seen that type of metal before - it seems almost as dense as adamantium." [6]  
  
" It's called Gundanium," said Trowa. " And it's indestructible."  
  
" Fascinating!"  
  
" Hopefully after you find that everything's okay, we'll have tracked down your friend," Jean said. " We'll find him. We won't let Sinister have him."  
  
Heero merely nodded and allowed Scott and Jean to herd them upstairs. He could hear Quatre asking questions about mutants and powers and he watched heard Wufei ask Logan where his sword was. Heero tuned them all out as he thought of how Jean had described Sinister. He wondered if Duo was okay.  
  
    
  
End Part 3A  
  
Man oh man - the ideas for this just keep coming! Part 3C will deal primarily with Duo awakening in Sinister's little dungeon o' doom - what's in store for our beloved Shinigami?? *Stormy cackles* I am having TOO much fun with this!  
  
What's a fic without Notes?:  
  
1. C'mon - wouldn't ya know something would shock the Perfect Soldier this badly and Duo's not around with a video camera?  
  
2. For those of you about to argue with me that Jean could've stopped the attack because thoughts move faster then actions, let me remind you that A) she believes Heero is a normal human child, none of this enhanced Perfect Soldier stuff and B) he was just out cold - they weren't expecting such a violent attack from a bed-ridden child! Ah, the joys of surprise!  
  
3. I believe part of Heero's training was to learn to quickly accept the unexpected and adapt accordingly. that's why he caught on so quick. Dr. J done good for a change!  
  
4. Jean was referring to the Morlock Massacre that occured in Uncanny X- men, issues 208 to 212 I believe....*goes to rummage through her comic collection* Anyhoo, the Morlocks were a band of mutants who's mutancy were too apparent for them to attempt to live normal lives as humans. They lived underground in the tunnels beneath the X-mansion until Sinister decided that they were the "pollutants" in the mutant gene pool and had them exterminated in a massive slaughter fest by the Raiders. It was recently revealed in Uncanny X-Men #350 that Gambit was one of the Raiders that initiated the attack. To Remy's credit though - he didn't know why they were there until the slaughter began. Then he tried to stop it and managed to rescue one little girl who grew up to be the mutant child psychopath, Marrow.  
  
5. I'm sure some of you are raising a few eyebrows (typical Wufei syndrome) as to why Jean or anyone else for that matter, weren't immediately disgusted by the apparent relationship between Trowa and Quatre. Actually, the X-men are among the most open-minded individuals due to the racial bigotry directed at them just for being mutants, never mind their sexual preference. Also, it's nothing new - they're friends with the Canadian superhero Northstar who came out of the closet in Marvel comics YEARS ago.  
  
6. Adamantium is the strongest metal on earth, indestructible and a large chunk of it is currently taking up residence in Wolverine's body - his skeleton was fused with the metal years ago. I am ignoring the storyline where Magneto ripped the metal out - Wolverine still has his metal body!! This will be demonstrated and explained better, in chapters to come.  
  
C&C required for purpose in life! Please ask me any questions or tell me if anythiing needs clarifying. Again, I'm trying to keep it as clean and together as possible and it's sometimes really hard to do!  
  
Here ya go - Part 3B of my epic Gundam Wing, X-Men crossover! I appreciate all the feedback I've gotten so far - thanks so much!  
  
1.2  
  
1.3 Part 3B  
  
   
  
" Y'okay sugah?" Rogue came up from behind Remy and wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew what kind of memories the Cajun' had floating around in his skull - heck she'd experienced them first hand [1] - and she knew that this mission would be preying on her man's mind for some time. Remy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.  
  
Jean had telepathically relayed their conversation with the Gundam pilots - knowing that Sinister had one of those kids in his grasp made Gambit sick to his stomach.  
  
" Not really, petite." Gambit turned to face her and smiled at the open look of concern on her face. Once again, he found himself thanking whomever it was that delivered this woman to him. " I'm worried 'bout dat kid."  
  
" Me too, sugah."  
  
Rogue lay her head on Gambit's chest and just listened to his heart beat for a while. Remy stroked her hair idly as he sifted through his memories.  
  
Growing up on the streets of New Orleans was rough when you were a cute kid. It didn't matter how old you were - there were enough perverts in the world that wanted young boys, males and females. Young, old, ugly, beautiful - it didn't matter to the pimps on the streets what the customer looked like. All that mattered was what the customer WANTED. Remy had fought against that for so long - and it earned him numerous battles against the gangs who wanted a piece of him for themselves. And that was BEFORE he learned he was a mutant.  
  
Remy remembered a dark alley, a street gang and fear. A lot of it. Pain too. Terrified and out of control, Remy had lashed out with uncontrolled powers, blowing up the alley, and the surrounding buildings to boot. For a long time, he couldn't gather up the strength to move.  
  
And then he appeared.  
  
Dazed, weak from both weeks of little to no food, and the release of such energy had drained Remy to near-death and he was certain he was about to die when a deep voice spoke to him and a large hand pulled him out of the wreckage.  
  
Sinister took Remy in and taught him in the use of his powers, taking vials of his blood for experiments, and teaching him how to be the best. Remy shivered at the memory of some of his training methods: the spilling of innocent blood to teach the concept of no mercy, pitting him, a child, against a group of insane mutants that Sinister cloned, to teach him how to kill. The beatings to weaken his resistance, the nightmares of tanks filled with half-grown clones.  
  
It had taken a while before Remy had regained the strength needed to break free while Sinister was away. Back on the streets, Remy ended up pick pocketing the pants pocket of a man who took Remy in and adopted him as his son, and made him a member of the Thieves guild. his prior 'training' under Sinister helped him leap through the ranks until he was granted the title Master Thief at the unheard of age of nineteen. [2]  
  
Sinister hadn't forgotten him though - oh no, that would have been too much to hope for. Sinister had appeared to him one night and told him that Remy's skills were required and that he would be rewarded if he helped. If he didn't, Sinister would destroy the Thieves Guild and everyone Remy loved. Including his then-girlfriend, Belladonna.  
  
Remy agreed, and he'd undertaken the job. He had to devise a way to enter some underground tunnels, bypassing the security, and leading a team in to dispose of some 'troublemakers'.  
  
The troublemakers turned out to be cast away mutants, whose main powers seemed to be simple deformities that marked them as such and therefore made them need to live away from people who would torment them. They were the old, the weak. Some were sick. Most had no dangerous powers. Many were women and children. Sinister had thought them to be a disgrace to the mutant race. The slaughter was on.  
  
Remy remembered the horror and nausea that welled up within him at the sight of the Marauders tearing into the flesh of the innocent mutants who's only crime was looking different from other people. Stricken, he'd tried to stop the carnage and was attacked by the mutant powerhouse Sabretooth. Hardly able to breathe and bleeding profusely, Remy managed to gather up one child and flee the bloody scene, the screams of the innocent ringing in his ears. [3]  
  
Remy shuddered and Rogue tightened her grip. " Stay with me, Remy," she murmured, lending him her vast strength. Sometimes she wished that her superhuman strength also meant being able to physically take on the pain of others as well, to burden herself instead of her loved ones. It would be a fitting penance for the lives she'd literally stolen, thanks to her mutant power of absorbing a person's very life energy through skin-skin contact. But all she could do, was be there for Remy. And she knew in the end, that was all he really wanted. After a few minutes, Remy backed up a bit. Rogue glanced at him.  
  
" Better?"  
  
" A bit." Remy decided to turn the conversation away from himself and he looked over to where the five machines, or Gundams, as the small blond kid had called them, stood against the wall. Five Gundams. Four pilots. Remy's eyes narrowed.  
  
" We gotta help dat kid Rogue," he whispered harshly. " It can't happen again."  
  
" We will, sugah," Rogue said soothingly, feeling her own resolve within herself. " It won't."  
  
    
  
   
  
Everything hurt. Arms, legs, body - even his braid hurt. Duo's awareness slowly seeped back into him in gradual staged. It took him a few minutes, but he eventually realized that something wasn't quite right. For one thing, he seemed to be surrounded by water. The filter strapped to his nose made a snorkelling sound as he breathed and he watched the bubbles float by his line of vision with each breath.  
  
The other thing that bothered him was the fact he had no clothes on except his boxers. Now Duo may be an exhibitionist at heart, but he preferred his little shows to be on his own terms.  
  
_Not while I'm floating in a tank, like a scene from a cheesy horror movie_!  
  
Duo's eyes opened all the way and he peered through the discoloured water, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was dealing with. He could see a row of computers along one wall, and he could see other tanks...Duo inhaled sharply and nearly choked. There were what looked like half-formed humans in those tanks. And most of them were looking at HIM.  
  
Duo wanted to scream. Instead, he began thrashing his arms and legs, trying to break the glass. After a few minutes of futile kicking, all he had to show for his efforts were some bruised and bloody toes.  
  
_Okay, THAT was pointless_. He mentally sighed, keeping his gaze away from the...things, in the tank. _So where am I_?  
  
Duo tried to retrieve those elusive memories that would give him some kind of clue as to what happened. As far as he could tell, he was the only one there - no sign of Heero or the others in that creepy room. From what he could see anyway - and there was no way in HELL he was opening his eyes over there again.  
  
" Ah, you're awake. Wonderful."  
  
Duo snapped his head up at the deep voice. And immediately wished once again, that he could scream.  
  
A powerfully built man stood there, encased in what looked like bluish- black armour. Blue-black metal tendrils of ribboned-cape swirled about his shoulders, rippling as though they had a life of their own. That was creepy enough. He had white skin and black hair severely pulled back off his face, which revealed a blood-red diamond on his forehead. Blackened lips curled back in a sneering smile, revealing sharp white fangs. But it was the eyes that made Duo cringe in fear. Deep red, pupil-less, and GLOWING. They looked like a demon's eyes. _I've died and gone to hell, just like I said I would_. Duo shrank back from those eyes, as much as he could in the limited room in the tank.  
  
" I wasn't going to spare your life when I found you among the remains of my laboratory," the man said, arms crossed as he stared mildly at his prisoner. Duo was sure that the man could SMELL his fear. " I couldn't see why I should."  
  
Even in the grip of terror, confusion shone through his eyes.  
  
" You fascinate me," the man said, finally turning away. Duo breathed an inward sigh of relief as those eyes left him. " One of my minions scanned you to see if there was anything worth gleaning from your little mind before I disposed of you." He turned back and Duo whimpered. " You are a child. Yet you are also a trained terrorist. A highly skilled one." His eyes narrowed as his lips pulled back in an evil smile. " You remind me of another I once had in my possession. He escaped." The man growled at the memory of loss. " But YOU won't." [4]  
  
Duo closed his eyes tightly. He was definitely NOT a prisoner of OZ, that was for darn sure. On the other hand, he got the distinct impression that this was not a good thing. Duo whimpered again. Pain, fear, confusion all welled up within him, stripping away his normal defence mechanism - how the hell was he supposed to cover up his emotions with denial when he was floating in a tank, staring at a demon? He didn't know where his friends were, if they were even ALIVE...a feeling of hopelessness overwhelmed him and tears began to leak out of the corners of his eyes, mixing with the saline solution he was in, and disappearing.  
  
" You'll be happy to know I'm going to spare your life."  
  
Duo's eyes flew open.  
  
" Your machines.... Gundams.... they fascinate me. They are of a material I've never seen before, capable of causing more destruction then Sentinels. And you will help me to retrieve them."  
  
Duo shook his head wildly. NEVER! He would NEVER betray his friends like that. Sinister chuckled, a dangerous sound that sent another bolt of fear through him.  
  
" Oh you will help me - you won't have a choice." Sinister snapped his fingers, and a door opened. Two large men entered the room. One was Indian- looking, tall and broad shouldered, with a harness over his shoulder that looked to house a bow against his back. His eyes were dark and deadly. The other was shorter but equally dense-muscled and compact, even more so then his tall companion. Wearing black leather trunks, boots and gloves, the man had FOUR arms! Duo's eyes widened in complete shock. Four muscular arms, rippling with power, the man had a decidedly evil smirk on his face as he fixed his stare on Duo.  
  
" This is Harpoon and Forearm," Sinister informed him. " They will be your.... trainers." He chuckled. " They will teach you a few things you will need - and they will teach you to obey. Once you heal enough to begin." [5]  
  
Again, Duo's eyes registered confusion amidst the fear. Sinister understood.  
  
" It won't do to have you half-healed before you begin - they wouldn't have any fun. Besides - I have a feeling you would die before giving in to me - your mind revealed to me that you have had much experience dealing with torture. " He smiled, and Duo shuddered. " That is another reason you prove interesting." He walked over to a computer and tapped a key. A small platform raised itself from the ground, a plastic, dome-shaped shield over the top. The shield slid back and Sinister plucked a small object from within the protective tower. He held it between his thumb and forefinger in front of Duo. It looked like a tiny, metal scorpion. " Do you know what this is?"  
  
Duo shook his head frantically.  
  
" This is a handy little object I created a long time ago," Sinister said in reflective tones. " I used it on a young mutant codenamed Morph. It increased his efficiency, boosted his power level - and as an added bonus, it made him completely loyal to ME." [6]  
  
Duo's eyes clouded over with terror.  
  
" Oh yes little one," the evil mutant smiled. " I will increase your skills, make you better then you've ever been before. And in return, you will help me retrieve the Gundams, teach my men to use them - and you will help me destroy the X-men!"  
  
More confusion, but Sinister wasn't looking at him anymore.  
  
" I didn't receive biological weapons or armies through that blasted machine - but one step at a time I suppose." He turned back to Duo. " At least with the X-men out of the way, I'll be one step closer then I was before."  
  
A truly evil look spread over his face as he pressed a button on the side of Duo's tank. The water level began to drop somewhat until Duo's head was above it. Duo tried to speak but the filter prevented him from making a sound. Sinister pressed another button and a small window slid open at Duo's ear level. Duo whimpered in his mind as he watched Sinister bring the little scorpion thing closer to him until he placed it on Duo's temple.  
  
Duo felt a prickling, crawling sensation that made him want to scream. Then pain, blinding pain as something burrowed into his head. He felt blackness creeping up on him on all sides and he thrashed wildly.  
  
_NO!! HEERO! QUATRE! ANYBODY_! He screamed within his mind, even as he felt his resistance crumbling. The last thing he remembered before the room went dark was a pair of prussian blue eyes staring at him, imploring him to not give up. _I'm sorry Heero_, was his final conscious thought before his eyes closed.  
  
Sinister watched the little scorpion dig its way into Duo's scalp, embedding its way into his neural pathways and rerouting them accordingly. He turned to Harpoon and Forearm.  
  
" He'll wake up soon, and then you are to train him," he said coldly. " From what I received from his mind, he's normally a very vibrant--" he sneered at the word."-- and caring person. They say that the greatest cruelty comes from the kindest person. I believe we shall put this to the test." His eyes gleamed. " Break him."  
  
Harpoon and Forearm exchanged eager grins. " Yes sir."  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero whirled around, blinking furiously. For a second, he could've sworn he heard Duo's voice in his head. _What the..._  
  
Jean watched him with concern. " Heero?"  
  
" I'm fine," Heero said, shaking his head. He must be imagining things. They were on their way to the war room, where Cyclops said everyone would gather to start making plans. Heero was getting impatient.  
  
Cyclops hit a large flat button on the wall and the metal door in the shape of a rounded X, pulled apart. He led the way inside. Heero, Quatre, Trowa and Wufei stood against the wall where they could see everybody. Jean again marvelled at this.  
  
_Like little trained soldiers_, she thought.  
  
Cyclops decided to start things odd.  
  
" First of all - let's finish the introductions. Heero, Wufei, Trowa and Quatre." He pointed out each pilot to the other X-men. " You've already met Jean Grey and Beast and Logan, also known as Wolverine."  
  
Wolverine lifted his lip in imitation of a smile. Again, Heero was nonplussed. He'd seen worse.  
  
" This is Ororo Monroe aka Storm - co-leader of the X-men. She can control the weather."  
  
The white-haired goddess nodded at the boys, wearing a friendly smile. She was wearing her battle suit of black and purple skintight material. Quatre returned the smile tentatively. Trowa merely nodded back. Wufei bowed and Heero folded his arms as if to say, 'Get on with it!'  
  
" This is Rogue. She has the powers of flight, super-human strength and invulnerability. She can also absorb a person's energy through skin-to-skin contact. If they're a mutant, she can absorb their power and use it for a brief period of time."  
  
A red-haired woman with a white skunk streak waved at them, green eyes sparkling. She was dressed head to toe in dark green material with white trim. " Look but don't touch fellas!" [7]  
  
Wufei grunted.  
  
" This is Remy Lebeau, codenamed Gambit. He can bio-kinetically charge any object with explosive energy."  
  
A serious-looking young man raised a hand in greeting. Heero studied him for a moment - he could sense a feeling of urgency in him, like he had a personal stake in what was happening. The man lowered his sunglasses and Heero blinked in spite of himself - the man had red and black eyes!  
  
" Oh!" he heard Quatre exclaimed softly. Remy shrugged as though he were used to the reactions. Scott cleared his throat.  
  
" Remy has had the most...experience in dealing with Mr. Sinister. "  
  
Heero's eyes flew back to the brooding young man. Remy met his gaze squarely. Heero saw it then - a connection between the two of them. Hate. Grudging respect. The same feelings he himself felt when he thought of Dr J. The feeling of angry acceptance over acknowledging who it was that taught you what you know. The hatred you feel towards the same person, for the methods they chose. Remy nodded slowly, recognizing the same in Heero.  
  
" Will he hurt him?" Heero asked Gambit quietly. Remy hesitated - and then nodded.  
  
" Yes." Remy listened to the intake of air from the young boys. He hated to do it - but it was best that they be prepared. " If he finds him useful, he'll torture him, break him 'til he'll do anyt'ing Sinister wants in order to stop de pain. De harder he struggles, de worst it will be."  
  
Quatre closed his eyes. Trowa's narrowed into angry slits.  
  
" If he don't find him useful....he'll just kill him."  
  
" Would he?" Wufei asked. " Find him useful, that is?"  
  
" Maybe." Remy shrugged. " Hard t' say." He folded his arms and leaned back against the wall, lost in memories.  
  
" Duo's from another world, the operator of that large Gundam," Jean said thoughtfully. " Sinister's got a few telepaths of his own - he'll probably keep Duo around long enough to get all the information he can."  
  
" Worst case scenario is dat Sinister makes him one of DEM," Remy shuddered.  
  
" Them?" Trowa asked.  
  
" A Marauder. " [8]  
  
Logan growled dangerously. Beast and Storm exchanged deadly looks, the pain on the weather goddess's face almost palpable.  
  
" What's a Marauder?" Heero asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer. His fists tightened in anticipation of Cyclop's answer.  
  
Cyclops sighed and brushed a hand through his hair.  
  
" Sinister's hit men. Murderous, bloodthirsty assassins' who thrive on bloodshed. Give them a target - they don't care who - nothing makes them happier." His matter-of-fact answer hit the Gundam pilots with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer in the gut.  
  
Quatre envisioned their smiling Duo painted in blood. He recalled vicious battles against OZ where Duo's maniacal laughter rang out as he mowed down his enemies and a tremor ran through him.  
  
" Maybe not so much of a switch," he whispered. Trowa tightened his grip around the blonde's waist.  
  
" What?" Cyclops stared at Quatre. Jean felt the uneasy agreement echo through the four boys and she started violently.  
  
" What kind of world DO you come from?" she asked incredulously.  
  
In the end, it was Quatre who told them of their war-torn world. How five colonies sent five boys to battle against an entire federation. How they had been denied their childhood, forced to spend their free time recovering from battle wounds and nightmares that made them scream into the night. Jean closed her eyes as she tried to imagine these four innocent-looking children as trained terrorists.  
  
" Dear god," she whispered. Logan pointed his stogie at Quatre.  
  
" Why'd ya say it wouldn't be much of a change?" he asked. " This Duo of yours a killer?"  
  
Heero's eyes blazed in righteous fury and only Wufei snatching the back of his tank top prevented him from leaping at the feral man. He had the vague impression that Logan could easily take him, regardless of his Perfect Soldier training, but he found he didn't care. He spat out angrily at Logan.  
  
" Don't you EVER say that about Duo!"  
  
Trowa and Wufei levelled deadly stares at the X-men for seemingly condemning their team mate. Storm looked at Quatre - yes, even the friendly- looking boy had the angriest expression she'd ever seen.  
  
" Well, that was obviously the wrong thing to say," Hank said, scratching his head in confusion.  
  
" Everyone just calm your hormones now," Rogue said as she stepped forward. " Logan didn't mean it that way - right sugah?"  
  
Logan shrugged. " Sure."  
  
Quatre fought the anger down. They didn't know. He had to make them understand.  
  
" We're Gundam pilots," he said at last, wondering how he was going to explain this. Technically, they WERE killers - and weren't at the same time. " We fight, yes - we kill. But only in battle."  
  
Cyclops nodded, still looking skeptical.  
  
" But Duo - Duo's different." Quatre rubbed his eyes. " We kill and hate killing. So does he. But when he's in the heat of the battle - he's not Duo anymore."  
  
" He's Shinigami," muttered Heero.  
  
" Death?" Beast asked curiously. Quatre nodded.  
  
" He kills - and takes pride in doing what he does. Mainly because he does it so well. On some level, we all feel the same way."  
  
" But Maxwell also takes it twice as hard," said Wufei. " He's lost his family - everything to war. He's devoted to protecting innocents. When he kills, he sees in front of him the people who took his family and friends away."  
  
" Outside of war, Duo's the happiest person to be around - he won't rest until he's cheered you up. Underneath that goofball facade, he's one of the most fiercely loyal people you'll ever know." Quatre rubbed his face again. " It would take a lot to make him fight innocent people - I can't see him doing it. But I can see him killing his TARGETS."  
  
Quatre stressed that last word and Jean realized with a start, that she understood. Regardless of who was there, if Duo saw it as a target, especially after being in Sinister's clutches - he'd destroy it. It was perfect. Sinister had dozens of ways to manipulate minds - and then he'd have a child doing his dirty work for him. One that was used to it.  
  
" That bastard," she whispered. Quatre nodded - his eyes shone as he saw her come to her conclusions.  
  
" Now you understand."  
  
" As we all do," came a new voice from the door. Everyone turned and saw a bald-headed man enter the room in a flying wheelchair minus the wheels. " I am Professor Xavier, founder of the X-men." A sorrowful look crossed his face as he addressed the group. " And I have some bad news."  
  
    
  
   
  
The boy opened his eyes again. This time though, he wasn't surrounded in water. No - he was on a table. He blinked and sat up slowly. Where was he? Something about the room seemed familiar but pain spiked in his head when he tried to remember...anything. What the....  
  
He swung his legs off the table, wincing as the pain in his head flared briefly before disappearing. He couldn't recall anything - where he was, even WHO he was. He looked down at himself - he was dressed in black, leather-like material. Not quite leather - he touched the material curiously. It felt like his whole body was encased in some kind of pliable armour. Interesting. Black boots, black gloves - he felt a weight swing behind his head and he captured it in a quick move. It was a braid - his braid. He felt some kind of significance attached to it but when the familiar pain began to return, he decided it wasn't important. But he checked and - yup. The tie at the end was black too.  
  
The door opened and the boy leaped to his feet, landing in a crouch. _Automatic instincts_, his mind told him and he briefly wondered what other instincts would come to mind. Then he saw two men enter the room and he focused on them.  
  
" Who are you?" he snarled, watching them warily. The two men grinned. The boy noted the huge size of the one, and the two extra arms on the other. _More interesting_.  
  
The big one gave him a slow smirk.  
  
" We're your.... training partners."  
  
    
  
End Part 3B  
  
Heh heh - here comes the fun parts!  
  
Notes:  
  
1. Rogue was referring to the time when their timeline was disrupted. She kissed Remy - their first kiss - when they thought their world was about to end. But it didn't and that kiss left Remy in a coma for days, and all of his memories were left in Rogue's head. She knows first-hand all the terror and pain Gambit felt at the hands of Sinister - and that's why she's equally determined to help Duo.  
  
2. I'm taking some more creative liberties with Gambit's history - don't quote me as being exact.  
  
3. See my notes on the mutant massacre in the last chapter.  
  
4. Who do YOU think it is? *grins*  
  
5. Harpoon and Forearm are established villains in the Marvel universe as Sinister's hit men, also known as Marauders.  
  
6. Here's where I'm doing a mini-crossover between X-men the comic and X- men the cartoon. Morph was never in the comics - the closest he was a character known as the Chameleon who died back in Uncanny X-men #50 - YEARS ago. In the cartoon though -Morph was thought to be dead until he turned up, working for Sinister courtesy of that little bug thing implanted in his head. I figured that was as good an explanation as any as to why Duo would work for Sinister.  
  
7. I'm using Storms costume from issues #350 on up - the black/purple shorts and shoulder less (but not sleeveless) top spandex armour suit with the boots and wrist and ankle bracers.#355 or #356 has the best pic of it.  
  
8. Marauders! I mistakenly called them Raiders when I was describing the morlock massacre - they are called Marauders, not Raiders. And they're ruthless killers.  
  
C&C please!  
  
1.3.1 Part 3C  
  
   
  
Quatre watched Heero go to work through the plate-glass window of the Danger Room. Beside him, Wolverine grunted in appreciation as Heero performed a series of picture-perfect rolls out of the line of laser fire, coming up in a ready stance and firing back with precision accuracy. Quatre wasn't surprised at how easily Heero had taken to the virtual reality room - it was just one more example of the Perfect Soldiers ability to adapt and adjust.  
  
Since that moment three days ago when the Professor had told them they couldn't find Duo via the residual energy they did last time, Heero had been a walking bundle of nerves and tension. Smiling faintly, the Arabian pilot remembered the Japanese man's introduction to the Danger Room.  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero slammed his fist into the table, a dangerously calm look on his face as he stared up at the bald man.  
  
" You can't find him."  
  
Professor Xavier looked at the boy sadly, knowing how he felt without having to delve into the boys' psyche. For all his control over his facial features, the boy didn't know the first thing about masking his emotions or his thoughts. The professor winced at the pain and worry he could sense on all of them.  
  
" Sinister either has found a way to shield the energy coming from the dimensional generator, or it was completely destroyed when the four of you-- "  
  
"--five," corrected Trowa.  
  
" Five," the Professor allowed with an apologetic nod. " When the five of you came through."  
  
" What about Cerebro's normal method of searching?" mused Hank thoughtfully. " Surely since the boy hails from another dimension, his brain wave pattern would be noticeably different and therefore easier to track?"  
  
" That works in theory," the Professor said, folding his hands in his lap. " Unfortunately, it requires a great deal of energy to search a limited area. And we have no way of knowing whether Sinister is even in the area - Fatale knows no earthly limit when she teleports."  
  
" If we could expand the search radius...." Hank's voice trailed off as his mind began thinking alternate ways of boosting Cerebro's power. Quatre winced as he felt Heero shudder with repressed tension, and he rubbed his chest. Jean flicked her eyes at him.  
  
" Quatre? " she asked, a gentle smile on her face. " Since it seems we're going to have to wait, at least for a little while until we're able to find your friend, I wonder if I might be able to talk with you later."  
  
" I'd enjoy that," said Quatre, bowing his head in a show of respect. Trowa tilted his head slightly.  
  
" May I join you?" he asked quietly. Jean felt a wall of unease and mistrust directed at her - nothing personal, she realized. Simply years of not being able to trust ANYBODY made him very over-protective of the people he'd eventually let into his heart. She smiled at Trowa, trying to convey all her sincerity to him in that single glance.  
  
" I would be honoured if you joined us," she said.  
  
Wolverine grunted and pushed himself off the wall, grounding the cigar he'd tossed so casually, under the steel toe of his boot. He motioned towards Heero.  
  
" I don't know 'bout you - but I prefer to work off my tension," he said simply. " Too many things are jumbled around yer mind right now - and since we ain't going anywhere, anytime soon until the eggheads--" he jerked a thumb at the Beast and the Professor. "--figure it out. Up for a little exercise?"  
  
Heero's eyes barely flickered. " Show me."  
  
    
  
   
  
That had been two hours ago. Upon hearing the kind of missions they usually undertook, Wolverine had programmed a kind of high-tech shooting gallery, with lots of targets. Quatre stifled a giggle at the remembrance of the look on Heero's face when the wild man had handed him a shiny, high-powered laser. It was like a kid at Christmas time. Quatre and Trowa had returned from their little talk with Jean [1] and stopped by to see how Heero was doing in the Danger Room, a virtual reality room used for the training of mutants in the use of their powers. [2] Watching Heero take out another target and then leap what looked like three stories to the ground with deadly grace, pivoting on one foot to crush another target's windpipe, Quatre chuckled.  
  
" You do realize that you'll probably never get him out of there," he said casually to Wolverine who was monitoring the kid's progress.  
  
" He's doin' real good," Logan commented - rare praise indeed from a man who spent over a decade training with some of the finest assassin's Japan had to offer. " Must be some kind of world you guys live in."  
  
" Some kind," Quatre repeated. Trowa, at his side as always, chuckled softly at the understatement. Then his eyes narrowed - a man had snuck up behind Heero who was busy taking two others down at the same time. About to call out, he watched Wolverine jab a button and end the sequence. Heero whirled around and fixed a deadly stare at the observation room. Wolverine shrugged.  
  
" You missed one."  
  
" No I didn't," Heero said quietly. He hit the door release and exited the room, pausing only long enough to grab a towel to mop up the sweat dripping off him. Wolverine raised an eyebrow as he looked questioningly at Quatre and Trowa.  
  
" That's where his partner would have taken him down," said Trowa quietly. Quatre watched Heero disappear, heading back to his designated room. " He knew the guy was there."  
  
" He just didn't care," Quatre finished as the two of them left the observation room. Wolverine watched them leave and a faint look of approval crossed his face. He fished another cigarette out of the belt of his costume and lit it up, blowing smoke rings into the now empty room.  
  
" I'll be damned."  
  
    
  
   
  
Sinister watched the monitor with obvious delight, the bluish light reflecting off his pale face. With the contrasting shadows, it made the dark man seem even more like his name then before.  
  
The screen showed what his clones had dubbed their 'playroom'. It was there that that his newest acquisition was receiving his specialized training. Under his 'care' for two days now, he felt his protégé was coming along nicely - the implant in the boy's head helped a lot. It also helped that his two trainers were very thorough. Harpoon and Forearm had commented on how the boy's natural fighting instincts had come into play, dramatically enhanced by the foreign technology embedded in his skull. Sinister chuckled and turned away from the screen and focused instead on another one, this one filled with lines of text instead of a video feedback.  
  
Threnody stood next to him, faintly puzzled. Normally, hers was not to question why - but Sinister didn't usually keep to many humans alive. She knew that part of the reason was because the boys mind revealed the information needed to pilot the Gundam machines that had been brought to their world, but such information could be extracted easily. They didn't need the boy. " Master? Why is he still alive?"  
  
Sinister spared her a level glance, and she felt herself shrink back slightly.  
  
" The boy's not a mutant," he said finally. " But his reflexes, his agility - they far exceed normal human levels. Whether this is a direct result from his extensive training he underwent to become a Gundam pilot, or whether it is plain genetics is undetermined." He smiled, teeth flashing. " And you know how much I hate leaving anything undetermined." He turned back to the screen and highlighted a string of text. " Observe. Since coming under my control, he's increased his natural abilities by nearly seventy percent. On normal humans, the bug only reaches a maximum of thirty percent, and then in only a few select humans of superb physical shape." He nodded at the boy's chart. " I would determine him to be at the class of a low-level Beta with the powers of enhanced speed, agility and strength. That's with the bug, and being human." He shook his head. " It's almost unheard of."  
  
" But why bother training him?" Threnody persisted. She knew she was pushing her luck but to be perfectly honest, she was bored. This was interesting. Do the math. " You used a low-level telepath to scan his mind - you don't need the boy to operate those machines."  
  
" I know. The boy serves another purpose. " Evil eyes gleamed with an unholy light. " Consider him...insurance."  
  
Threnody's eyes narrowed...and then widened in realization.  
  
" The X-men won't fight back at full strength against a child. And I don't believe the boy's friends will hurt their comrade deliberately to prevent him from stealing the machines. Besides," he added, his tone going cold. " I take great amusement in causing emotional pain - broken bones heal, wounds scab over - but the human mind is so frail. I want to watch him fight his friends. I want to see him live up to his name. I want to see the look on HIS face when he sees what I've done."  
  
" HIS?" Threnody asked. Sinister chuckled.  
  
" What I lost when Remy escaped, shall be made up with this boy," he murmured. " He can't emit bio-kinetic energy - but his skills are so closely matched to that of Remy Lebeau...parallel worlds are such interesting topics of discussion, don't you think, my dear?"  
  
Threnody knew when she'd reached her limit. Sketching a quick bow, she turned to go back to her research work. On the way out though, she paused and watched the monitor where the boy was battling Harpoon.  
  
" Shinigami," she mused thoughtfully at the name Sinister had given the boy, and then shrugged. It wasn't her business.  
  
    
  
   
  
Shinigami snorted, inhaling great gulps of air as he watched his opponent. He could feel cracked lungs screaming at him with each breath, ribbons of blood continuing their downward trek on his body - but still he smiled. The name the dark man had given him seemed familiar - at any rate, he couldn't remember what his name HAD been, or if he even had one. At least this one had meaning.  
  
" Not bad kid," growled Harpoon as he flexed his arm, gingerly. " But I still have to hurt you for that."  
  
" Try it," Shinigami hissed as he prepared for the attack. He had only known his two sparring partners - Harpoon and Forearm - and their dark master for two days, as far as he could remember. But they seemed to be like him - or the 'him' they said he was. Shinigami recalled the discussion from two days before:  
  
(FLASHBACK)  
  
" We're your.... training partners," said the big man with a decidedly evil smirk. The boy crouched down, ready to defend himself. Suddenly the door opened again and a man in dark armour walked in. The boy caught his breath at the corpse-like visage.  
  
" What the..."  
  
" I am Sinister," the man said, cutting him off smoothly. " I am the one who healed you."  
  
" Healed me..."  
  
" You were injured quite badly during the explosion," the man continued. " You suffered a concussion as well as other injuries - but you're awake. Good."  
  
" Who are you?"  
  
" I told you who I am," Sinister said with a cold look. The boy shivered under its icy gaze. " You may consider me your...employer."  
  
The boy looked distrustingly at him and Sinister met his look evenly. " Who am I?"  
  
Sinister smothered a dark laugh as he decided what to tell the boy. Recalling the interesting tidbits of information gleaned from the boy's mind, he settled on one. " You are called Shinigami."  
  
" Death..." the boy's voice trailed off as he thought about it. Shinigami. It rang a bell, deep in his mind. It sounded familiar - accepted. " I think I remember..."  
  
" Good." Sinister pointed at the two men in the room. " They will be training you, to regain what the...explosion, took from you."  
  
" But I-"  
  
" Quiet!" Sinister whirled around and backhanded the boy who hit the ground. Hard. He hadn't even seen it coming. " You will train with them. You have a mission coming up - you will not fail me."  
  
Shinigami glared up at him from the floor, and Sinister grinned at the look of hatred. _Oh yes - it begins_! His training methods were a bit unorthodox, but he didn't want his minions to care for him - he wanted them to hate him. To fear him. To become as ruthless as he himself was. He restrained himself from chuckling at the combined fear and hate directed at him from the young boy. A curt nod, and Harpoon moved towards the door.  
  
" Let's go, punk," he growled. Forearm jerked the boy upwards and propelled him to the door. Shinigami spared one last glare at the dark man before he was dragged out the door. Sinister watched him disappear and the dark man began to laugh. Shinigami heard that laughter echo in his ears over and over again - he had to make it stop....  
  
(END FLASHBACK)  
  
Two days and numerous fights later, Shinigami had grudgingly won the respect of his sparring partners. They had accepted him as one of them - a cold-hearted killer. Didn't he just kill a guy in that morning's fight? Riptide or something - he had expected to feel remorse over the man's death, but all he could feel was a sense of elation as his enemy fell beneath his attack. Maybe it was because they'd told him the man would simply be cloned. He'd be back. Shinigami shrugged. He watched Harpoon circle around him - one of the unspoken rules in all the fights was that no one could use their powers. Shinigami didn't care - as far as he could tell, he didn't have any. He wondered vaguely whether or not that would make him a liability in a fight - he had the strangest feeling that at one time he had a power.... a weapon of some kind. Guns he found, were extremely familiar to him, but he still had the oddest sensation of something being missing...  
  
He focused back on his opponent - watching with satisfaction as Harpoon's one arm remained limp. _Where'd I learn about pressure points, anyway_? he wondered before Harpoon leaped at him with a snarl of rage.  
  
" Time!"  
  
Forearm stopped the match just as Shinigami ducked out from under the big man's attack. He felt his body shriek in pain and was grateful for the stop - but he knew better then to tell anyone that. The door opened and he watched the dark man - or Sinister - enter, feeling the fear well up again. Even Harpoon and Forearm shuddered slightly - the man fairly exuded evil, like a sickly stench.  
  
" I think you're ready for a short mission," the man said. " There is a mutant I need a sample of DNA from - and then he is to be disposed of. This is the perfect opportunity for you to get back in the swing, of things."  
  
Shinigami kept his eyes lowered as he nodded. Sinister laughed.  
  
" You'll need a weapon," he said. " You have no real powers--"  
  
Shinigami felt an odd sense of shame creep over him.  
  
"--so you'll use this."  
  
He tossed a metal staff at the boy. Shinigami's eyes narrowed as he caught it deftly. It was silvery in colour, with a smooth handled-grip for easy manipulating. At the one end, there was a large indention in the metal and he felt the staff hum with a faint, familiar energy.  
  
" What...."  
  
He noticed a switch on the handle. Pressing it, he cried out in surprise as a greenish flame arced out of the end and stayed there, in a curved shape. Shinigami's eyes widened in shock as he stared at the flame, feeling the heat wash over him.  
  
" I KNOW this," he murmured, staring at the flickering light. Sinister snorted.  
  
" Of course you do," he said with disdain. " What is Shinigami without his death scythe?" [3]  
  
Shinigami froze - that was SO familiar it hurt. The feeling of rightness swelled within him and he believed, now more then ever, that this was the truth. He had the feeling that the truth meant a lot to him....  
  
Sinister watched the boy carefully swing the scythe in a low arc, gradually adjusting to the feel of it. His lackey of a telepath had picked the image of a scythe quite clearly out of the boy's head. Thermal energy was nothing new to Sinister - it had been mere child's play to create the weapon being held so carefully by his new toy. And this served two purposes: a) It would make the boy believe in him even more strongly, something he'd never been able to accomplish with Remy years ago, which would make him fight more effectively. And b), it would make him even more dangerous. That fiery blade would cut through anything short of adamantium - the material that made up the handle. The mission wasn't necessary - but he needed proof of the boy's loyalty. This little test would prove whether or not the boy was worth killing, or worth keeping around. He watched as the boy's eyes lit up and a sinister smile curved his own lips.  
  
" Shinigami lives," he hissed, staring at the scythe in rapt admiration. He whirled around, slicing a deep tear in the metal wall and watching as the jagged edges seemed to literally melt away. He hugged the staff to him possessively.  
  
" Mine," he breathed and then he began to laugh - loud, maniacal and completely hysterical. " MINE!"  
  
Harpoon chuckled as he patted his bow in understanding. Forearm growled.  
  
" So the kiddies got a new toy," he taunted, eyes hard as diamond. " Can you handle the mission with it, pretty boy?"  
  
He froze as the deadly blade slid to a halt directly under his throat, the heat rising from it stinging his skin until he could smell the scent of burnt flesh. Shinigami's eyes glowed with feral intent.  
  
" I think I've got the hang of it," he whispered conspiratorially. " Wanna test it?"  
  
Sinister watched the whole proceedings with interest. This was working out even better then he had planned. He cleared his throat and the three of them snapped to attention.  
  
" The mission," he said. " Do not fail me."  
  
" No master. " Harpoon, Forearm and Shinigami bowed their heads. Sinister tilted Shinigami's head up, digging deep claw marks into the tender skin.  
  
" Do NOT fail me," he said again, watching with delicious glee as the fear waged war behind those violet-eyes. Then came grim acceptance and then sheer anger at being bullied. Unable to strike out at his master, Sinister knew that the boy's target would feel the brunt of his rage. " Or you will die. And you will not be cloned. Understood?"  
  
" Understood," the boy bit back, fingers caressing his new weapon with purpose.  
  
Sinister watched the three of them leave and then his dark laughter filled the room.  
  
    
  
End Part 3C  
  
Notes:  
  
1. Jean's little talk with Quatre and Trowa will be elaborated on next chapter. And we'll find out what Wufei's been up too as well!  
  
2. The Danger Room is a large room, secreted under the mansion. Programmed with alien technology, it creates solid projections, used in the training of mutants in their powers. It can simulate long falls, space conditions - and it is possible to die in the simulations because they are SOLID projections. If you program a beach scene with an ocean and a man-eating shark, you'd better not count on the shark's attack passing through ya 'cause you'd be DEAD!  
  
3. I have been WAITING for this - I've had an image of Duo in black combat clothes, waving his scythe around for the last three chapters!  
  
Coming up - why's Wufei sneaking 'round the mansion? What did Jean talk to Quatre about? What's Gambit got planned? What's the mission that Duo--oh excuse me - Shinigami's being sent on? And why will it leave a lasting impression that will impact him for the rest of his life?  
  
C&C please!  
  
  


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Heart of Darkness  
  
Parts: 4A  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warnings: angst, sap, flashbacks and our first guest appearance!  
  
Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, RxR (^_^), 5xJ (?) heh heh....  
  
Archive: www.gwaddiction.com, my site http://stormyfics.homestead.com/fanfics.html  
  
Onward!  
  
   
  
   
  
1.1 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.1.1 Part 4A  
  
   
  
(THREE DAYS LATER)  
  
Wufei had headed straight for his Gundam when he woke up the next morning. He remembered their little war council and snorted - all that talking with nothing to show for it. He knew Heero would be heading for the Danger Room again - after fixing Wing Zero, he had nothing else to do. Quatre and Trowa were conspicuous by their absence - they had been spending a lot of time with the Grey woman. Wufei snorted again. _Onna's_, he thought wryly. _Always love to talk, regardless of which dimension they were from_.  
  
Pausing at the base of Shenlong, Wufei bowed his head and had a moment of silence, as he always did when he greeted his Gundam. He'd renamed it Nataku - in memory of his wife Meiran.  
  
Meiran. His lips curled into a brief smile. Wild, untamed, full of spirit and eager to defend her colony. She'd demanded that everyone refer to her as Nataku - the warrior goddess. Wufei chuckled as the old memories flooded over him - how he, a scholar had been paired with that disguised tigress was a mystery far beyond his comprehension. They had been engaged to each other, against their will, and married at a very young age. Wufei recalled the numerous fights that occurred as two proud, stubborn people had to learn to give and take - and slowly, mutual respect had started to form between them.  
  
Until she was killed.  
  
Up until that day, they had never expressed words of love, preferring to try and keep the peace as friends. As she lay dying in his arms, Wufei remembered her softly spoken words. " Wo ai ni," she'd told him [1], a small smile on her face as her eyes closed forever. Then and there, Wufei had vowed to take up the fight in her name - to do all that she could not because of her early death. He would seek justice for all those who would harm the innocent. Wufei let the memories wash over him, bathing him in resolve and he looked up at the giant Gundam with a firm smile - he never ceased to be inspired by Nataku.  
  
" Wow, you look so serious." A voice commented wryly from behind him. Wufei spun around, whipping out his sword and falling into a defensive stance as his eyes sought out the intruder.  
  
His jaw dropped as he saw the small, slender black-haired girl standing there in a yellow raincoat.  
  
" Meiran?" he whispered hoarsely, rubbing his eyes futilely. The girl gave him a weird look.  
  
" Who? Sorry pal - I think you got me confused with someone else." She snapped her gum and sauntered closer, sticking out her hand. " The name's Jubilee." [2]  
  
    
  
   
  
Quatre smiled his thanks at Jean as she served him a cup of tea. She then turned to Trowa who nodded, accepting the cup graciously. Quatre was enjoying these little talks they had been having since their arrival. He remembered the first conversation they'd had, when Jean had asked to speak with him after the meeting with the Professor.  
  
(FLASHBACK)  
  
" What did you wish to see me about, Jean?" he asked her politely as she led him and Trowa into the mansion's living room. He seated himself on the large couch, Trowa next to him. Jean sat in a large, high-backed chair and regarded them thoughtfully.  
  
" I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things," she admitted. " One is purely out of curiosity and I apologize if I'm speaking out of line but I wanted to know something about you and Trowa."  
  
Trowa stiffened imperceptibly. Quatre squeezed his hand reassuringly and looked back at the redhead. She nodded at their joined hands.  
  
" I wanted to know if your world is...tolerant," she said at last. Then she shook her head. " Wait, that came out wrong." She stood and walked over to the window, gazing out at the sunny skies that had settled in over Westchester - probably courtesy of a certain weather witch, she thought. " It looks beautiful out there doesn't it?"  
  
Quatre exchanged another glance with Trowa, confused. " I-I suppose so..."  
  
" Beautiful - but deadly," she mused. " A cover-up for what lies beneath the surface." She sighed, turning back to face them with a faint smile. " One of the said things in life, OUR life, is that the people of this world, both human and mutant, show very little tolerance for anything different."  
  
" You're referring to our relationship," Quatre said slowly. Jean nodded.  
  
" I was wondering what kind of world you come from - whether prejudice or racial bigotry is a common symptom of any world, regardless of timeline." She gave them a rueful look. " Forgive me for intruding--"  
  
" Not at all," Quatre hastened to reassure her. He looked thoughtfully at her. " I've never really thought about it. The world we come from is at war, yes - but it stems not from difference of races. Only difference in opinions and world views."  
  
" Couldn't that be construed as nearly the same?" Jean asked him sadly. Trowa shook his head and spoke up.  
  
" While not common, our relationship is not...uncommon. Neither are more conventional pairings - or interracial. Who you love, isn't the issue of the war we fight."  
  
" Of course this doesn't mean that everyone approves," Quatre was quick to add. He winced at some old painful memories of thinly veiled insults, and the jeers he'd heard from people quick to harm his relationship with Trowa. " Bigotry seems to be a universal trait."  
  
" I thought as much," Jean said, returning to her chair. " Mutants here are feared because of the power they wield - even if its a simple power like the ability to change one's hair colour." At the look they both gave her she smiled. " Yes, that is an existing power."  
  
" It sounds interesting," Quatre said.  
  
" I wish all people would think that," Jean closed her eyes for a second and then opened them. Quatre looked at her.  
  
" We don't require it to be happy but...I'm glad you approve," he said to her, knowing she'd understand. Jean's eyes softened.  
  
" Oh Quatre - I didn't mean to pry like this! No one here would ever fault you for loving another - we face too much bigotry every day to mock another for their choices in life," she said, face solemn. " We'd be hypocrites if we did that."  
  
" Thank you Jean," Trowa said simply. He spared a glance at the blond next to him, knowing that her reassurances were deeply appreciated by Quatre, and therefore, appreciated by him. Jean nodded.  
  
" What else did you want to speak to us about?" Quatre asked suddenly, feeling there was more to this then he thought. Jean laughed outright - breaking the tension from before.  
  
" Actually, I wanted to speak to you of THAT - that little habit you have of sensing what's going on!"  
  
" How did you--oops, uh, I forgot," Quatre grinned sheepishly as he looked at the telepath. " What did you want to know?"  
  
" Do you have mutants in your world?" Jean asked bluntly. " Or are you all just highly sensitive to those around you?"  
  
Quatre shook his head. " I think you're referring to my Space Heart - a Winner family trait." He smiled fondly, if a bit sadly. " I inherited it from my mother."  
  
Trowa blinked at him. " You mean your sisters have it too?" He hadn't known that. Quatre shook his head.  
  
" Oh no - none of my sisters possess the Space Heart - only--" he blushed. "--Naturally born Winners."  
  
Jean looked confused, brow creased as she tried to understand. " Your sister is a test-tube baby?"  
  
" Sister's," Quatre clarified. " All twenty-nine of them."  
  
Jean sat back, a stunned look on her face. " I. see." She tried to imagine her and Scott with twenty-nine children - and burst out laughing at the mental image of her husband buried under mountains of baby clothes and diapers. Quatre giggled - he could guess what she was thinking!  
  
" Soo...." Jean wiped her eyes and grinned at them. " What is a Space Heart?"  
  
Quatre sat back and pondered this for a moment. " It's kinda like...an insight. Think of someone who's naturally sensitive to other's feelings, and increase it."  
  
" I thought you might be an empath," Jean admitted. Trowa looked at her.  
  
" Empath?"  
  
" One who senses emotions and feelings - a mild version of telepathy," Jean explained. " I've long suspected Gambit of being and empath." [3]  
  
" He's the man with the red eyes, right?" Quatre wrinkled his nose, trying to remember. " He seemed...very sad."  
  
" This whole business is one bad memory for him," Jean sighed as she rose to replenish her teacup. " More?"  
  
" Thank you." Quatre accepted the beverage refill and sat back, sipping quietly. " Duo's in big trouble, isn't he?"  
  
Jean nodded, sad she had to admit it. " Yes." Her face hardened. " But we will get him back, Quatre, Trowa - I promise you that."  
  
" Why?" Trowa asked suddenly. " Why would you go to all the trouble of helping us - you don't even KNOW us."  
  
" Because I would never be able to live with myself if we let Sinister experiment on a child," Jean answered honestly. " And because it's partly our fault you guys are stuck here - it was OUR equipment that Sinister stole. You guys are innocent bystanders in a game that's been played for years."  
  
Trowa nodded, satisfied with the answer. Quatre couldn't speak, but he bowed his head again. Jean clapped her hands once.  
  
" Tell me more about your Space Heart," she entreated.  
  
(END FLASHBACK)  
  
Since that discussion, he'd come to enjoy Jean's company. He knew Trowa did too - the redhead exuded warmth and friendship - something they'd hardly ever seen before outside of their own little group. They'd exchanged information on both worlds and realized in some ways, they were very similar. They'd also discussed Heero - and his subsequent feelings for his missing partner.  
  
" They're close then, neh?" Jean asked him. Quatre shook himself and focused on Jean.  
  
" I'm sorry - what did you say?" He grinned ruefully. " I must have zoned out for a minute."  
  
" I said Heero and Duo must be close," Jean repeated. Quatre scratched his head.  
  
" Not in the sense that you mean like me and Trowa," he said at last. " At least, not yet."  
  
Jean raised an eyebrow. " Heero has spent nearly every moment in the Danger Room, shooting down numerous targets that resemble the description we gave him of Sinister, since you got here."  
  
Quatre chuckled quietly at that - it was typical Heero.  
  
" Actually, the potential is there - and Heero's finally starting to wake up," he admitted. " Duo's the only one that could get beneath his skin - and live to tell about it. He has a way of waking Heero up from his Perfect Soldier mode, to make him live in the now so to speak." He grinned briefly. " Duo's a very effective counsellor."  
  
" Something tells me I'd like this Duo of yours," Jean said. Their description of their lost comrade reminded her of a blonde-haired, ice- wielding maniac. Quatre's smile disappeared.  
  
" You would," he said quietly. " Everybody does. He has a knack for making people like him." He gestured at Trowa. " He brought all of us together in friendship."  
  
" What kind of life did he have?" she asked curiously. Quatre hesitated - he wasn't sure how much of it was his to tell.  
  
" He had a...hard life," he admitted. " Part of his desire to make friends with everyone, is to keep from being left alone again."  
  
Jean's eyes softened in sympathy. She could feel Quatre's pain for his friend as keenly as though he'd screamed it out loud. " I'm sorry."  
  
Quatre shrugged. Trowa cleared his throat. " More tea?"  
  
    
  
End Part 4A  
  
1. As far as I know, it's " I love you," in Chinese. Don't quote me on that - I'm getting much of my Japanese lessons from watching Ranma 1/2 tapes....^_~'  
  
2. Everyone's favourite firecracker!  
  
3. Gambit being an empath is a favourite topic of discussion on the mailing list I'm on - he seems to have the uncanny instinct for feeling other's pain, and he's very sensitive to people's emotions - at least when he's written by Joe Kelly or Claremont. ^_^ I just thought I throw it in - and see where it goes....  
  
C&C pretty please with Gundams on top??  
  
1.1.2 Part 4B  
  
   
  
Heero fired two more times, killing the last two Sinister-looking snipers on the roof. He stood up slowly, watching their bodies fall to the ground dispassionately. Before they hit though, they disappeared. Heero blinked, recognizing the familiar hum that signified the end of a session. The holograms vanished, the buildings and destroyed mobile suits melting away. Heero grunted and looked up at the observation deck. A woman with a white skunk streak - _Rogue_, his mind supplied - waved cheerily at him and he idly glanced at the gun, wondering if the bullets would penetrate the thick glass separating them. _Probably not_, he decided ruefully.  
  
" I wouldn't do dat," came a husky laugh from behind him. Heero whirled around and came face-to-face with the red-eyed man from before. " Even if ya made it t'rough da glass, de bullets would bounce off her - got a hide like adamantium dat girl does." [1]  
  
" I heard that swamp rat!" came an amused snort over the intercom. Remy waved at her and she nodded, exiting the room. Remy turned back to the boy.  
  
" Heero, right?"  
  
Heero shrugged, watching him.  
  
" Don' talk much, dat's for sure," Remy commented mildly. He observed the boys tense stance. The gun he held was at his side but Remy knew from the Danger Room readouts that he could aim in fire in about as much time that it took him to charge and throw a card. _Dat ain't much time_.  
  
" No."  
  
Remy shrugged. " S'okay - I know you're worried 'bout your friend--"  
  
The boy twitched.  
  
" --but I'd say he's still alive f' now. Sinister likes to play wit' his new toys first." Gambit's lips curled in disgust. Heero trembled, a low growl building up in his throat.  
  
" How do you know?" he bit out, trying unsuccessfully to push all his anger and worry down. Then memory hit him. " You....Cyclops said you knew the most about Sinister."  
  
Remy looked at him. " Yeah, I--HEY!"  
  
He dodged the boys lightning quick attack, rolling to his feet and whipping out a card. Then he froze. Heero stood there, gun slipping through nerveless fingers before they clenched into fists so tight his knuckles turned white from blood loss. His shoulders were shaking violently, and though his eyes were dry when he looked up, Remy almost recoiled from the pain radiating out from the pale face with the force of a blow. " Heero?"  
  
" You're....right. I....I'm.....worried. About...Duo." The boy's words were stilted and halting, almost as though it pained him to admit it. " Not used to.... being.... helpless." He locked eyes with Remy and Remy again felt the weight behind the gaze. " What...what did Sinister do to you?"  
  
Remy exhaled noisily, feeling a cavern open up in his chest, swallowing him hole.  
  
*Needles stinging, hurts me, likes to hurt me, screaming, trapped, pain, hurt, pain, sadness, emptiness, pain, fists striking me, must prove I'm stronger, must fight back, hurts so bad, kill me, kill me, pain, won't stop, please stop--*  
  
" Gambit?"  
  
Remy's head snapped up and he took a deep breath before he answered.  
  
" He trained me."  
  
Heero's blue eyes pierced his and he saw it then - saw a boy who knew what training meant, saw what it did, knew how it felt.  
  
" You know," he whispered in surprise.  
  
Heero thought it was odd that he was shocked to hear Gambit's words. He recalled the numerous training sessions he was put through by Dr. J - everything from beatings to build up his pain threshold, to rape, so that he would never break. Sensory deprivation. Mind terrors. More beatings. More pain. He saw all that and more reflected back at him through red-on- black eyes. [2]  
  
He swallowed convulsively. " Yeah....I know."  
  
Gambit sighed. " Good."  
  
" What?"  
  
" Good," Gambit repeated harshly. Then his tone softened somewhat. " You know what its like. You'll be able t' help your friend."  
  
" Help him...." Heero repeated numbly. He shook his head. " No - Duo's stronger then that. He's been tortured before.... he's never been broken..." his voice trailed off into a whisper Remy nearly missed it. "...Like me..."  
  
Gambit's heart clenched at the self-recrimination in that voice. Then he froze, as the implications of what Heero had said hit him. " Oh, merde..."  
  
Heero stared at him. " What?"  
  
Gambit chuckled harshly, remembering what he'd gone through at the hands of Sinister. After he'd been broken. When he'd...  
  
" Maybe de physical pain's gonna be de last of your worries," he said, half- snarling, half chuckling with bitterness. Heero's eyes narrowed as Remy rubbed his eyes wearily. " S'metimes it's too much trouble to break 'em. It's easier to CONTROL dem."  
  
" Control?" Heero echoed uncertainly. Remy nodded.  
  
" Sinny's got a lot of toys to help him get people to do what he wants," Gambit explained roughly. " He couldn't use 'em on me - my metabolism's too screwed up for mind imbalancers, or drugs. He once injected me wit' a shitload of Phenobarbital and I was still able to resist anyt'ing he tried, when I should have been mindless as a newborn." He grinned darkly. " Handy trait." [3]  
  
He crossed his arms, leaning against the door. " But Remy hear a lot of t'ings while he was dere....I remember a mutant was brought in. Feisty kid - could hear 'im yellin' from my cell. He stopped soon enough - could never figure out what happened to him to make him Sinny's new pet."  
  
" Den I joined de X-men. Tried to save de world." He chuckled grimly. " And I met Morph - a mutant wit' de power to shape shift into anybody or anyt'ing, just by t'inkin' 'bout it. During a battle wit' de Sentinels, we t'ought he was killed."  
  
Heero recalled hearing something about Sentinal - like Gundams on a less technologically advanced scale. " Go on," he said curtly.  
  
" He disappeared - we never found his body. Time passed and eventually, Cyke and Jeannie decide to tie de knot. A beautiful wedding too - Remy, he kissed almost all de bridesmaids. 'Cept Rogue - she got away," he grinned. Heero was getting impatient, even though his stony demeanour revealed nothing.  
  
" Does this have a point?" he growled. Remy shook his head.  
  
" Impatient, " he said softly. " But yeah, dere's a point. De minister turned out to be Morph - working for Sinister."  
  
" A traitor?"  
  
" Dat's what we t'ought. 'Til we battled Sinister an' his goons on an island where Jeannie and Scott were supposed to be havin' d'ere honeymoon. Turned out Morph had a little bug in his head dat made him evil, eager to kill. Probably what happened to de kid in de cell. Now Morph be a peaceful kinda guy - and he fought de implant wit' every part o' his being. Dat's why he was able to stop himself from killing Cyke." His eyes glowed briefly and Heero grunted at the sight of the red light, giving Remy's face a positively fiendish look. " Dat's why he left." [4]  
  
" Left?"  
  
" Didn't wanna hurt nobody 'till he gets control o' himself. We took out de bug - but de programming, it stay up in his brain."  
  
" And he could do this to Duo."  
  
" Probably."  
  
Heero winced. " But Morph didn't like killing.." he whispered, horrified at the thought of a blood-crazed Duo rampaging through ranks of civilians. " How effective could a bug like that be on someone who's used to it - who sees killing as an order to be followed?"  
  
" De ends must justify de means in your world," Remy muttered, eyeing the boy sharply. " He might not fight de implant as much."  
  
" That's what I thought," Heero sighed. " But if we get to him, we could stop him, right?" He couldn't believe how he was acting - practically BEGGING Gambit for some reassurance. But his thoughts were raging out of control and he pleaded silently with the red-eyed man to agree with him. Gambit dropped his eyes.  
  
" Maybe," he allowed, not wanting to destroy all of the boy's hope. " De X- Men - we don' go down wit'out a fight ya know."  
  
" Neither do Gundam pilots," Heero returned, regaining his iron control. Blue eyes glinted like ice chips. " We'll find him. And he'll be fine."  
  
" Le's hope so, mon amie," Gambit whispered, watching the boy walk away stiffly. " Le's hope so."  
  
    
  
End Part 4B  
  
Whatcha think? I still think it could use some revising - it took forever to decide how I wanted Gambit to play into this - but on the whole, I'm kinda happy.  
  
Notes - wonderful, glorious notes! :  
  
1. Rogue's powers also include a thick skin - enough to deflect bullets, lasers, tanks and falling buildings (that one was my favourite episode!) See previous chapters and notes for more details on her powers.  
  
2. I'm just guessing what kind of training Dr J and Sinister put the two guys through - there's that creative license again!  
  
3. Again, I'm using discussion from the mailing list - it seems to take Gambit longer to succumb to deadly gases and other poisons so again - I'm blaming his physiological makeup as a reason. 'S'alright? 'S'alright.  
  
4. Now I'm kinda mucking up the TV series....but I pretty much followed inside the lines. If you'd like anyt'ing...excuse me, anyTHing (damn cajun's accent is addicting!) explained further, please email me.  
  
Here it is - the long awaited debut of Shinigami! Thank you to all who replyed so far - and thank you to Blue Lemming who helpfully pointed out my mistake regarding Quatre's knowledge of his own history. I wasn't aware of WHEN Quatre learned he was the only natural born Winner and that his sister's are all test-tube babies...this little mix-up can be rectified though - let's chalk it up to inexperience on the part of a GW newbie, rate this as a TWT (Timeline? What Timeline?), flash a super-enlarged copy of my very own creative license and issue apologies to anyone foaming at the mouth at me for mangling Quatre's family history. Sorry guys!  
  
Title: Into The Heart Of Darkness  
  
Part: 4C  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warning: Angst, some OOC  
  
Pairings: none mentioned  
  
Archive: Jackies page (addy's in the sig), Candy's page and Kitsune's place - thanks guys! Anyone else - just ask!  
  
Another new appearance! Get crackin' and start readin'!!  
  
   
  
   
  
1.2 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.2.1 Part 4C  
  
   
  
(That night)  
  
Shinigami crouched, motionless on the ledge of the office building. His heart was pounding with excitement even though his face didn't reveal any emotion. He felt the thrill of the hunt singing through his veins, his senses keyed up and focused on his target. he knew that Forearm and Harpoon were around somewhere - on the rooftop most likely. They were too large to shimmy up the side of a building and perch on the foot wide ledge that circled the building on each floor. He snorted silently at the thought of them trying to do the balancing act he was pulling off right now - it almost made him wish Fatale had made good on her threat to teleport him fifty feet in the air and let him drop when he'd tried to cop a quick feel off the Asian assassian.  
  
It was weird. Shinigami felt a surge of uneasiness everytime he was around his two 'partners' - and suffice it to say, Sinister scared the shit out of him. But the fighting, the training...that had been familiar. And so was this.  
  
He couldn't help it - he broke out into a grin as he licked his lips in anticipation. The night was calling to him, drawing him out. It didn't matter who his target was - all that mattered was that he had a job to do. Something to focus on, to carry out. A purpose. HIS purpose.  
  
Reaching over his shoulder to the harness on his back, he pulled out his scythe, running his fingers over the metal grip lovingly. Holding this weapon in his hands, focussing on what he had to do, drowned out any other concerns he might have had. This felt RIGHT.  
  
Tapping the button lightly, a faint greenish glow drifted out of the end; not enough to draw any undue attention, but enough to literally melt away the glass, separating himself from his targets apartment living room. He didn't hear anything from Harpoon and Forearm - nor did he really expect too. He had the feeling that this was a test for him - designed by Sinister and carried out by his two goons.  
  
He wasn't sure why he wasn't very afraid of them. Both three times his size, in both height and bulk, with mutant powers far beyond his comprehension, he knew he should be shaking in his shoes each time they came near him, each time they sparred with him. Sinister had told him that he was an advanced human - lacking the mutant gene, but making up for it with increased speed, strength, flexibility and agility. Adding in the scythe made him a formidable opponent, even against mutants. Still, the rational part of his mind was arguing that he should be afraid. But he wasn't. Not a bit. The thought of dying didn't faze him. He wondered why that was.  
  
He shook his head - too many thoughts to worry about now. Slipping in through the now-melted window, Shinigami turned off his scythe and slipped it back into the leather harness, making sure not to accidently cut off his braid. That was another thing to think about - he'd gotten awfully possessive about the darn thing. _Later_, he told himself.  
  
Slinking through the main room of the modest brownstone apartment, he coldly noted the family pictures on the mantal of the fake fireplace, and the certificates lining the walls. His target was educated. A pity.  
  
The light blinked on the communicator he'd been given and he growled softly, pushing the button.  
  
" What?" he whispered harshly. " I'm kinda busy."  
  
" You're taking too long," Harpoon said bluntly. " Just do it and get it over with. Now."  
  
The picture went dark and Shinigami stuck his tongue out at the blank screen. _Spoilsport. No finesse, no style at all_. With a shrug, he strolled into the master bedroom.  
  
Ah. There was his goal.  
  
Crossing the room swiftly, he slammed his hands over the woman's throat and mouth, cutting off any sounds she might have made and waking her instantly.  
  
Brown eyes blinked wildly at him, unable to make any noise from the grip he had on her voice box.  
  
" Dr. Cecilia Reese, I presume?" he asked coldly. The target's eyes were filled with terror - Shinigami knew the darkness of the room combined with his black clothing and black cap made it difficult for her to see him. It should have unnerved him to be attacking a woman. Looking into her eyes, her fear only amused him. " Allow me to introduce myself - I am Shinigami."  
  
His eyes glowed dangerously. " And you have something I want."  
  
    
  
   
  
Cecilia didn't know what to do. One minute she'd been sound asleep, exhausted from pulling a twelve-hour shift at the Salem medical centre - not unusual, but definitely hard to get used to. The next thing she knew, a stranger dressed in black had a death grip on her throat. Normally her mutant power of constructing a bio-psionic shield would have kicked in automatically but she didn't even have time to think about it. If she put it up now, it would merely include her attacker inside. [1]  
  
Her first instinct was to panic as he leaned in closer, whispering in chilled tones that she had something he wanted. What could he possibly want from her?  
  
A voice in the back of her head told her probably many things. Judging from the black leather costume she could feel against her skin, he was probably not your run-of-the-mill robber.  
  
During her short stint as a member of the X-Men, she had run into many different super-villains and she wondered if this person was working for one of them. She wanted to ask him what he wanted but he wouldn't let go of her throat. His grip was also making it hard for her to breathe. Her attacker seemed amused by this and chuckled harshly.  
  
" I am going to let go of your throat so that you can breathe. If you scream, I will crush your windpipe and let you choke to death," he said, almost conversationally. " Do you understand?"  
  
She nodded her head minutely and his hands slid off her.  
  
" What do you want?" she finally croaked. It occurred to her that since the X-Men frequently used her medical centre as a drop-off centre for various packages, this person might want the address of the X-mansion. _Not that it's a big secret_, she thought bitterly. Or maybe he wanted the medical files she had on all the mutants she treated.  
  
She inhaled a few quick breaths, never taking her eyes off him. Suddenly her body began to glow slightly as her mutant shield kicked up. She then grinned at him.  
  
" Hah! Try to hurt me now, sucker!" She backed away from him, intent on reaching the phone to call for help when the man sighed in annoyance and pulled a long metal stick from his back. She watched it light up in green fire and he spun suddenly, so quick she almost didn't see it, slicing the air and melting the phone, the lamp next to it and the table on which they both stood. About to scream again, he reached forwards and grabbed her chocolate brown hair, numerous little braids each encased separately in it's own little field. He grabbed one braid, shield and all, and lowered the flame on the scythe until it looked like a green match tip. He then sliced through her hair.  
  
Cecilia felt an enormous surge of pain as her shield was cut. Her mutant power was an extension of herself that tended to manifest involuntarily and it always hurt when anything impacted against it, even if it protected her from any actual damage. But to cut through it....  
  
She sank to her knees, clutching her head as her attacker dangled the pitiful little strand of hair in front of her.  
  
" Nice little trick, neh? My boss added a few tricks into this thermal scythe - it has an effect on energy. Any energy. Including bio-energy." His grin grew wider, even more malicious then before. " I could have done that to your arm or leg, just so you know. But you're worth more to Sinister alive."  
  
_Sinister_? The name snapped Cecilia out of her pain-induced haze and she stared up at him blindly. The man chuckled again and she wished she could see his face but the darkness kept her from seeing anything more then an outline.  
  
" Who are you?" she whispered brokenly.  
  
" I am Shinigami," he said coldly. A maniacal-edged laugh issued from him. " And you're not. Now Dr. Reese - you are going to keep that little shield of yours down while I take a few things from you. " At her horrified gaze, he barked out a laugh. " Oh, give me a break - I'm not interested in your body."  
  
Cecilia felt a bit of her normally fiery temper return as he said those words. He sounded sincere enough - well, as sincere as any leather-clad loony carrying a thermal device could be. Then again, for a short time, she had BEEN one of those leather-clad loony's. 'Why not', was at the edge of her tongue when he gave his frank statement but she forced it back. _Keep your mouth shut Cecilia_, she told herself. " Then what do you want?" she asked him, proud to hear the trembling in her voice had gone.  
  
" I vant your blood!" he giggled in a bad attempt at a Transylvanian accent and Cecilia shivered at the hysterical pitch in her attackers voice. Then the name from before hit her. Sinister. _Oh my god_.  
  
" My blood? Sinister wants my blood?" She backed away slowly, fear returning in waves. " Oh no. I am not a pincushion--"  
  
A quick swipe and her bed was neatly sliced in two. The maniac laughter was gone and that metal rod was at her throat. She froze, fighting to keep her shield from manifesting. He might actually go through a few limbs to make a point.  
  
" It will only take a minute of your time," he said, smiling benignly. He whipped out needle and a small vial. Cecilia closed her eyes, hoping that the damn thing was sanitary. A pinprick made her flinch, and a few seconds later, she felt it withdraw and she opened her eyes warily.  
  
" That's it?" she asked incredulously. The man looked at her and grinned.  
  
" Not quite."  
  
Cecilia never saw the adamantium rod of the scythe impact in the side of her head.  
  
    
  
   
  
Shinigami watched her where she lay, blood seeping from the wound he'd delivered, pooling beneath her unconscious body. He calmly put the vial into a pouch at his waist and turned away. The target had been dealt with, as per instructions. He felt a faint twinge at the state he'd left her in but then pushed it away. After all - he was Shinigami right? And Harpoon said he was used to this.  
  
_Mission accomplished_.  
  
He froze as his mind registered the words - where had that come from? Then the light blinked on his communicator again. He ignored it, stealing back out of the apartment with all the stealth he'd used upon entry, climbing from the ledge, up the side of the building, digging his fingers into the miniscule handholds he could find in the rough brick, and finally hoisting himself over the rooftop iron fencing. A huge hand gripped his collar and hauled him the rest of the way.  
  
" What took you so long?" Forearm snarled at him. Shinigami pushed him away and reached into the pouch, pulling out the vial.  
  
" I got it, didn't I?" he asked sarcastically, not backing down. He knew if he did, Forearm would clobber him. Badly. Forearm snorted.  
  
" Lucky you did, punk," he growled. Harpoon spoke up from where he leaned against the wall of the building that lead to the stairway.  
  
" Did you leave her alive?" he asked, eyes pinning the boy in his spot. " You were not to kill her - she's important as a research tool to Sinister."  
  
" Hey man - if there's one thing I know how to do, it's follow orders," Shinigami barked. " She's alive. Hurt, but alive."  
  
Harpoon nodded, flexing his giant fist. " Good."  
  
He pressed a button on his own communicator and suddenly, Fatale was there, light glowing in it's usual display of her powers.  
  
" Let's be off, 'gentlemen'," she said, stressing the last word sarcastically. She watched them gather near, eyeing the smallest one thoughtfully. He was an interesting creature, she mused. Highly attractive, and apparently very skilled. Sinister wouldn't be eager to let this little one get away. She raised her arms and focused. They disappeared in a blinding flash of light and sparkles.  
  
    
  
   
  
Cecilia groggily lifted her head and groaned.  
  
_G-Get it.... together girl_, she told herself, fighting the black spots that were dancing in front of her eyes. She wanted nothing more then to sink into the black oblivion, hovering just beyond the edge of her vision, but she knew she couldn't. She tried to focus her bleary eyes on her dresser. _Have to.... do this.... _  
  
She dragged her resisting body to the wooden dresser, grasping at the handles to pull herself up to a sitting position. She swayed momentarily, breath rasping, and then bit her lip, reaching for the top drawer. It slid out and she patted her arm around its innards blindly, searching for it.... where.... Ah! There it was.  
  
She pulled out the small object and cradled it. One of the few things she kept from her stint as an X-man, she was now ferverently glad she did. She pressed the top button on her communicator. A familiar, fuzzy blue face finally greeted her, blinking at her curiously and then in horror.  
  
" CECILIA?"  
  
" H-help me Hank," she breathed, and then her strength left her in a rush. She vaguely heard Dr. McCoy shout something but she was too tired to listen as her awareness slipped away.  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero sat up as he heard the alarm go off in the mansion. A quick check confirmed the presence of his gun and he slid out of bed, pulling on his tank top and customary spandex shorts in seconds. Exiting his room, he saw Trowa, Quatre and Wufei having the same idea. Wolverine loped into the hallway. Seeing the boys there, he was about to order them back to their room when Jean's mental voice stopped him.  
  
:: Let them come, Logan::  
  
He growled. :: The kid?::  
  
A mental sigh. Then resignation. :: Yes::  
  
Logan cursed under his breath and turned back to the four pilots who were all watching him with looks that screamed both confusion and seriousness.  
  
" What's happening?" Heero demanded. Logan jerked his thumb back down the hall.  
  
" Situation," was all he'd tell them " Follow me."  
  
    
  
   
  
Quatre was a bit surprised when Logan didn't stop the elevator at the floor where he knew the War Room was situated. He could sense the tension level and he rubbed his chest absently. Trowa glanced at him and he shrugged. Fixing his eyes on Heero, Quatre winced - he had a feeling this little emergency might concern Duo.  
  
Wufei stared at the wall, wishing it would hurry. He was still on edge from meeting that Meiran look-alike in the hangar earlier - he winced at the memory of him mumbling some excuse for mistaking her for someone else and then dashing out of the hangar, the girl's amused laugh trailing behind. [2] _Onna's_! he thought waspishly. Unbidden, the thought entered his mind that Duo would have gotten a kick out his surprise and he scowled at the wall blackly. _I bet this concerns Maxwell_, he thought.  
  
The door opened and the pilots blinked at the sheer size of the room.  
  
" Why is it each time we go down another level, the rooms seem to get bigger?" Quatre asked Trowa quietly. The unibanged boy shrugged. Quatre noticed Jean and Cyclops, and recognized the blue-furred man as the Beast. Wufei's eyes widened as he saw the girl - Jubilee, he tried to remember - leaning against the counter, watching them enter with interest. Despite the apparent severity of the situation, she threw him a quick wink when their eyes met and he looked away. Heero's eyes zeroed in on the group gathered in the middle of the room, focused on someone lying on a cot.  
  
_Duo_?  
  
Heero pushed his way past Cyclops and Jean to get a good look - and stopped, disappointment seizing his chest. It was a woman, apparently of central-American descent with chocolate skin and hair. A white bandage covered a wound on her head. Jean's voice spoke up.  
  
" Her name is Dr. Cecilia Reese," she said. " She was...attacked tonight."  
  
" By who?" Quatre asked, watching the girl curiously. Jean exchanged a look with her husband.  
  
When Hank had gotten the call from Cecilia, he had alerted the redhead immediately before racing out to the hangar and firing up the Blackbird. Jean had monitored the whole pickup, Beast having assured her that whoever had attacked Cecilia had already left. Nonetheless, she and Cyclops had stood by, ready to join him if necessary. leaving only when Beats told them that he had the Doctor, and to make sure that the sickbay was prepped and ready.  
  
Jean had been astonished at the formerly fiery-tempered doctor's condition and had gently delved into her mind to get a picture of her attacker. All she could make out from the blurry images was a greenish weapon, the outline of a slender build, and a name. One that was familiar thanks to the numerous talks she had with Quatre. She bit her lip and looked at her husband nervously, unsure of what to say.  
  
:: Just tell them, Jean:: Scott advised her softly. She looked at Heero.  
  
" Her attacker called himself...Shinigami."  
  
    
  
End Part 4C  
  
Mwahahahahaha.....*Stormy chuckles* The plot thickens!!  
  
Notes:  
  
1. Cecilia Reese was a member of the X-men for about 5 or 6 issues before being relegated to a supporting character role with minimal appearances. Her mutant power is a bio-filed that kicked up automatically whenever she was in danger, but she could never figure out how to consciously turn it on or off. Here, I'm giving her a little more control - it takes a little bit but she can will the field into existence, and she can shut it off. The deal with Shinigami's blade being able to cut through it - well, Sinister's a genius right? he can build all sorts of do-dads on that scythe - why not make it powerful enough to give Shinigami and advantage over more mutants? 85% of all mutant powers are bio-kinetic, psionic, or energy-based - it makes sense that Sinister would take that into account when constructing a weapon for Duo.  
  
2. For those about to scream I cheap-shorted Jubilee - hold yer horses! That little by-play served its point - Wufei had mistakenly identified Jubes as his long-dead wife and that freaked him a bit, hence the running from the hangar. But she's not being thrown aside - trust me. We will see more later on.  
  
Comments are greatly appreciated! Flames will be used along with lots and lots of lighter fluid to light my Barbeque! 


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Heart of Darkness  
  
Parts: 5A  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warnings: Angst  
  
Pairings: implied 1x2  
  
   
  
   
  
1.1 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.1.1 Part 5A  
  
   
  
Shinigami snorted as Sinister chuckled over the small vial he handed him before adding it to a small tray of similar ones inside a small cooling unit.  
  
" You've done well, my boy," Sinister said, red eyes gleaming. " I am impressed indeed."  
  
Shinigami acknowledged the praise with a curt nod. He felt itchy, eager to move, to do something. The attack on the woman had filled a craving inside of him, like a battle on some small scale within himself had been won. He liked that feeling - the feeling of rightness, the feeling of satisfaction for doing something correctly. On one level, he wondered whether or not he should feel so happy about doing such a thing to a woman but he brushed it off as a momentary lapse. Women were not as weak as society liked to portray them. He had a brief mental image of a woman with short blue-black hair with a gun next to a woman with blond hair that curled at the sides. Blinking, he frowned - where had THAT come from? He shrugged. Sinister noticed his twitching and tapped a key on the panel thoughtfully.  
  
" It's not enough, is it?" he said, the low dark tones sending a shiver down Duo's back. " You feel the need to fight. To hunt. To go to war. It's inside you - a part of you. Can you feel it?"  
  
Shinigami closed his eyes at the words the dark man spoke, and subconsciously, his fingers tightened around the metal scythe he still held in his hands.  
  
" Yes."  
  
" Good," Sinister said, turning back to the screen. " Because I have another mission for you. Soon. One that will suit you much more then the last. Be ready."  
  
Shinigami nodded briefly and then exited the room. Forearm and Harpoon exchanged looks.  
  
" What's up Boss?" Harpoon asked curiously. " We goin' with the kid?"  
  
" No," Sinister replied flatly. " It's time for me to make the first move in this little game."  
  
Harpoon shrugged and Forearm looked bored. Sinister chuckled.  
  
    
  
   
  
It was simple really. If there was one thing that that was sure to draw the X-Men out, it was the murder of innocent mutants. The murder of humans would have the government up in arms and Sinister really didn't want to have to contend with the combined forces of the Avengers AND X-Factor at this juncture - both teams, which would be utilized to bring him to justice if he attacked the human populace. No. The trick was to draw out his specific enemy. His Shinigami was the key to his retrieval of backup information, sir Beast was sure to have in that wonderfully protected mansion of theirs. And they would bargain. Oh yes. Of that there was no question - they would give him the information he so desperately wanted and in return, he would give them the boy. But.....  
  
Sinister flicked another button and a view of a small warehouse opened up on the screen. It was small, cramped, and dingy - the perfect breeding ground for less-then-perfect species of the mutant race. Sinister's lips curled in a contemplative sneer.  
  
Street rats. All of them. Mucking up his gene pool - they could not be allowed to grow up and reproduce, further diluting the species. Death would have to pay them a little visit.  
  
He knew his subordinates were curious as to why he was even bothering to use the boy - it wasn't normal behaviour from their boss. Sinister snorted.  
  
" They couldn't grasp the brilliancy," he murmured thoughtfully as he watched the urchins sleep in huddled piles, the homeless and the deformed crouching together to conserve body heat in the cool night. Some of the mutants were painfully obvious - Sinister sneered at a ragged woman with lupine ears and a black nose. Outcasts. Forever doomed to be on the outside of society because their mutant abilities were too apparent for them to pass as humans. He remembered another such group that had once dwelled beneath the surface in an attempt to hide from human eyes - and he recalled the fate that had befallen them.  
  
" I believe such a rousing performance deserves an encore," he laughed coldly, turning off the monitor. Shinigami would go and pass HIS judgement on them. And then the fun would begin - the X-Men and the boy's teammates would be desperate to stop the carnage from happening again and then he would win the round. He laughed as he envisioned what would happen with his protégé when he was finally reverted to normal.  
  
He had thoroughly scanned the boy's mind, leaving no mental rock unturned. He knew how deeply the boy cared for others - and how he hated his enemies just as deeply. Within Shinigami's mind was a deep-rooted, unbridled hatred for those who took his life, his family, his home, his CHILDHOOD away. The bug merely changed the targets from that OZ organization to whomever Sinister saw fit to send him against. Sinister laughed again.  
  
" Harpoon and Forearm wouldn't understand why I'm not physically torturing the boy," he said, surveying his laboratory with an even satisfaction. The mental agony the boy would go through when he regained his normal mental faculties would be exquisite! Most likely the boy would be broken, driven to self-destruction. Oh yes. Sinister's eyes narrowed in anticipation. Beating Shinigami to a bloody pulp would be satisfying for the short term - but implant or not, he was still a fragile human. Now, mind torture....Sinister threw back his head and laughed harshly, the cruel sounds echoing off the silent sentries standing guard in their glass prisons, the only witnesses to a madman's insanity.  
  
    
  
   
  
Hank rubbed his eyes wearily as he watched the cab leave with Cecilia. The fiery Latino had assured him she was fine the minute she was conscious and as soon as she'd been able to get up, she had called a cab.  
  
" I know you're worried," she had told him. " But I need to go home - my work doesn't wait for anyone - do you realize how few people will willingly treat sick and injured mutants?"  
  
Even the argument that she'd been through an ordeal hadn't changed her mind. She'd been through enough attacks as an X-men to develop a thick skin about such things - and the added security Cyclops had promised to install in her home later that day was an added bonus. Beast sighed - there were times he truly loved that woman, even when he wanted to shake her soundly for not taking her own health as seriously as she took others.  
  
" She's gone already?"  
  
Hank looked at the brown-haired boy who stood behind him, blue eyes piercing his.  
  
" Cecilia takes her medical career very seriously - too seriously," he grumbled. " Why? Did you need something? I am certain that while not as attractive as the lovely Dr. Reese, I am no less medically inclined to answer your questions."  
  
Heero hesitated. The blue doctor's speech reminded him of Duo's - fast and incoherent. He shook it off. " I wanted to speak to her about Du- Shinigami."  
  
Hank nodded thoughtfully, noticing the slight lapse. " It may not be your friend-"  
  
"It is," Heero cut him off smoothly. " Who else would call themselves Shinigami?"  
  
"Sinister could have sent anyone out and told them to call themselves Shinigami," Beast said. "He does so enjoy playing little mind games."  
  
" It's not a game," Heero said quietly, deadly. " My...Our Duo would never attack an innocent woman."  
  
" Unless he's being controlled."  
  
Heero blinked at that and his eyes narrowed. " But..." his voice trailed off. Hank looked at him sympathetically.  
  
" You may have to face the fact that in the near future, you may have to battle your own comrade."  
  
Heero's eyes blazed at him. " You think I can't handle it? If Duo has become a liability then...he must be eliminated."  
  
That last part was said with such a resigned air that it shook the Beast to the core. He looked at the young man - no, young boy who stood there, calmly discussing his willingness to kill someone who obviously meant a lot to him.  
  
" How can one with a face so young, be so eager to extinguish the life of one he cares about?" he murmured. " You all have the hearts of warriors...but in the end you are only children."  
  
" We were never children," Heero said blankly. " It was not allowed." He bit his lip but then he shrugged and decided to enlighten the furred man.  
  
" We fight in a bloody war that never seems to resolve anything. We are five who were chosen to represent our homes against an overwhelming force. All of us were subjected to training, to block out emotions, to be able to kill our enemies who sometimes were not much older then ourselves. We are the best." His tone turned dry. " And we all know the risks of war."  
  
Hank watched the youth struggle with his emotions. " What of the risks to your souls?" he asked softly.  
  
" What soul?" Heero barked with a short laugh. " No soul could do what I have done and be pure. Maybe Quatre has a pure soul, or even Trowa or Wufei. Duo for sure. But not me."  
  
" Then why be so willing to sacrifice your friend."  
  
Heero went silent for a minute, weighing his thoughts with the seriousness of one who had the fate of the world in his hands. Hank began to think he'd never get an answer when Heero's voice spoke up softly, his eyes staring off at an unseen objective.  
  
" I had the chance once before. I hadn't known him long - he was captured and taken to a military base to be 'debriefed'." Heero licked his suddenly dry lips. " I went after him."  
  
" To rescue him?"  
  
" To silence the leak."  
  
A poignant silence fell over them. Hank's sensitive ears vaguely registered the chirping of crickets in the lush grass before them. Heero chuckled softly as he raised his eyes.  
  
" Duo loves the night - he says that crickets are heard more at night because the glow of the moon draws them out and makes them sing its praises."  
  
Hank closed his eyes for a minute and when he opened them, the open look on Heero's face had reverted to its blank mask. He sighed.  
  
" We will get him back," Hank promised solemnly. " Sinister is using him for something - and based on how that madman has acted in the past, we can safely assume that sooner or later he will contact us."  
  
" Before or after he destroys Duo?" Heero asked quietly.  
  
" He doesn't seem to have harmed him yet--"  
  
" I didn't mean his body," Heero cut him off again. Throwing one last glance at the moon, Heero turned and went back into the mansion. Hank watched him leave silently. A low chuckle sounded in the darkness and the Beast whirled around to see Logan materialize by the side of the house.  
  
" You heard, Logan?"  
  
" Yup."  
  
" And yet you laugh."  
  
" 'Cause Sinister's gonna be gettin' more then he bargained for," Logan said as he leaned against the wall, crossing one leg over the over at the ankles. " That kid is mad. And scared. When he blows, it's gonna be all she wrote for whoever's in his way. Including his friend."  
  
Hank stared at him. " Wolverine, that boy just informed me that he intends to kill his best friend if he deems him an enemy. We both know that Duo is merely under Sinister's control - if we can get the boy, we can break the influence."  
  
Logan blew out a column of smoke before raising a single eyebrow in Beast's direction.  
  
" So?"  
  
" SO?" Beast was nearly in apoplexy. " SO?"  
  
" If the kid's already broken, why the hell would ya break the influence? 'Side's - in that boys mind, there's no room for traitors. It'd get 'em killed in their war."  
  
" But.....but.."  
  
" Oh, I'm gonna help all I can - been itchin' fer a good fight against tweedledum and dumber," Logan chuckled at his names for Sinister's henchmen. "But I ain't gonna get involved in what's gonna happen between the two of them. If Heero spared the kid's life, it'll be 'cause there's somethin' worth savin'. He may not get the chance to." He shook his head. " What amazes me is that Heero knows it - and accepts it."  
  
Hank shook his head sadly. " What kind of world raises its children to be terrorists?"  
  
" Probably similar to one that raises people to be bigot politicians like Graydon Creed," Logan shrugged, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stubbing it out with his toe. Hank threw him a wry look at the mention of the anti-mutant activist before going back into the house. Logan looked up at the moon.  
  
" Damn, I'm starting to like that kid."  
  
    
  
End Part 5A  
  
Okay - this was rough. Very rough - but SOME people were anxious for this part...*waits five seconds before collapsing* Okay, okay - no one forced me. But I am appreciative of the emailed kick-in-the-butts I've been getting - makes me work harder! Part 5B is in the works - look for it today or tomorrow.  
  
1.1.2 Part 5B  
  
   
  
Jean was in the kitchen fixing herself a cup of tea before joining her husband in their room. Scott had returned from installing the promised added security to Cecilia's home and Jean wanted to ask him how the girl had looked, just for her own peace of mind. The scent of Earl Grey wafted in the air drawing an appreciative sniff from the redhead's observer.  
  
" Would you like some Jubilee?" Jean asked politely, not bothering to turn around. Behind her, the young Asian girl laughed lightly before heading towards the fridge.  
  
" You know me better then that Jean - I need some REAL caffeine."  
  
Jubilee found what she was looking for - a case of Coke - and selected one of the red cans. Closing the fridge door, she looked up at her friend. " Nothing better."  
  
" That's bad for you."  
  
" I know." She popped the tab and took a sip. Playing with the can thoughtfully, she smirked. " I guess I have bad timing, huh?"  
  
" Hmmmm?" Jean looked at the girl questioningly. " You're always welcome here Jubilee - you know that."  
  
" Oh I know," she assured her. " I just mean that I seemed to have come during the middle of a hurricane - mind telling me what's going on?"  
  
" I thought you knew."  
  
" I have an idea," Jubilee shrugged, absently flicking a few plasma sparks into the air. " And I met that one guy, Wufei was it?" She grinned. " Not too hard to look at either!"  
  
Jean smiled fondly at the girl she had come to look at in the light of a younger sibling. " I thought you liked Everett?"  
  
Jubilee shrugged. " I can look. 'Sides, Ev seems to be tagging along behind Ms. Monet lately." [1]  
  
Jean sensed the masked hurt easily, but she knew better then to push Jubilee. The girl was generally easy-going as long as you left her emotions to herself. " You do know that they probably won't be staying long - we are going to get their friend back and then find them a way home."  
  
" Such a shame," Jubilee sighed. " There've been more cute guys in this house in the last two days then in the last several months! Can't we keep one?"  
  
" Jubilee!"  
  
" Spoilsport."  
  
A sudden noise interrupted the two ladies banter and Jean lifted her head, sensing the approach of a familiar person. Jubilee was still giggling and sipping her drink at the same time when Wufei appeared in the doorway. Jubilee froze as Wufei raised an eyebrow in her direction before bowing slightly at Jean and then making his way through the room to exit the other side. Jubilee looked at Jean.  
  
" D'ya think he heard me?"  
  
" Probably."  
  
" Cripes." Jubilee set her can down on the counter before looking back up with a twinkle in her eye. " Did I say cute? I meant gorgeous!"  
  
" Jubilee!"  
  
    
  
   
  
Wufei snorted as he made his way through the house. _Onnas_. He didn't even consider the implications of Jubilee's statements about himself - as Jean had so helpfully pointed out, they would not be staying long. _And the last thing I need is another woman_.  
  
//Especially one that looks so much like Meiran//  
  
Wufei shook his head and headed out to the hangar. Trowa and Quatre were already there, looking over their Gundams habitually.  
  
" Hello Wufei," Quatre said warmly, jumping down from the arm of his Sandrock. " Here to check on Shenlong?"  
  
" Nataku is in perfect condition," Wufei said. " But she thanks you for your concern." He looked around the hangar curiously. " Where is Heero?"  
  
" He be outside," came a smooth voice from the doorway. Quatre and Wufei looked up even as Trowa leaped lightly to the ground.  
  
" Gambit," Wufei inclined his head at the X-Men formally.  
  
" Bonjour Wufei," Remy smiled at him, flashing his teeth. He pulled off his sunglasses and slid them back up on his head, looking at them through red- on-black on eyes. " Quatre. Trowa. Don' you people ever sleep?"  
  
" Hello Remy," Quatre returned the smile hesitantly. He wasn't sure why, but something about the mysterious man gave him the shudders - a feeling of intense pain and sadness lurked about the young man like a cloak, shrouding him in darkness, blocking out the light. Since arriving, Quatre's sensitivity must have increased because he had to work a bit harder to keep everyone's emotions from washing over him completely. _I think I need to speak to Jean again_. " I guess tonight's excitement was a little much - no one feel's like going back to bed now." He shrugged. " It's almost morning anyway."  
  
" T'ought you might like to know dat de Prof might have an idea on finding your friend."  
  
Trowa and Quatre exchanged excited but wary looks.  
  
" Such as?" Wufei asked.  
  
" Le Bete was fiddlin' around with Cerebro yesterday and put some kind of amplifier on it. Prof t'inks it may narrow down de search. Maybe." He shrugged. " But it's somet'ing, non?"  
  
" Not until it delivers results," said Wufei resolutely, refusing to get his hopes up. Trowa and Quatre appeared much the same way. Quatre looked at Remy.  
  
" Is Duo going to be all right?" he asked suddenly, out of the blue. Remy jumped slightly.  
  
" Eh?"  
  
" They all said you knew the most about Sinister - and I can feel the pain you keep locked within yourself," the blond pilot said quietly. " I guess I just want to hear someone who's been in that position, tell me it's going to be all right. I mean, YOU made it out, right?"  
  
" Yeah, I did," Gambit said wearily. " And it nearly cost me my soul. I'd never wish what I went t'rough on another person."  
  
" That helped," muttered Trowa.  
  
" Look, I t'ought I knew de score kid!" Gambit snapped at the one-eyed boy. " But dis be a whole new playin' field - if he sent your friend out to attack somebody den all bets are off! He not goin' t' torture Duo - he be trainin' him! He's makin' him out to be one of DEM - a Marauder!"  
  
" This is what you earlier called the worst-case scenario?" Wufei spoke up.  
  
" Yeah," Remy sighed, pushing a lock of hair out of his face. " Ya hurt de body - it can heal. Whatever don' kill ya makes ya stronger and all dat. But tell me dis - if Sinister makes your buddy attack innocent women, or makes him kill someone or anyt'ing along d'ose lines - what's your friend gonna t'ink of himself when he's back in his own mind?"  
  
Quatre gasped in horror and Trowa blanched. Even Wuefi felt his guts turn to ice at the thought of happy-go-lucky Duo realizing he killed someone. An innocent.  
  
" He'd self-destruct," whispered Quatre. " Same as any of us would. Duo would NEVER hurt someone innocent...would he?" This last bit was said pleadingly. Remy turned away from those big eyes, not wanting to lie to the kid.  
  
" He may not have de choice."  
  
" Don't let Heero know this," Trowa said suddenly. Quatre turned pale at the thought. Remy frowned.  
  
" Why not?"  
  
" Because if Duo does turn out this way, then he'll be considered a liability. Heero would take him out."  
  
" But he's your friend!" Remy gaped at them, for once, shocked completely. " You'd allow this?"  
  
" Not by choice, " Quatre said quietly, rubbing his arms as if the warmth in the room had been sucked out. Trowa sat next to him, wrapping an arm around him in an effort to help stop the chills wracking his body. " But out of necessity."  
  
" If you'd allow dis to happen, why not tell Heero?" Remy was now shocked AND confused. "Surely he be the most equipped to deal wit' dat kind o' situation?"  
  
" Of course," said Wufei quietly. "He's the Perfect Soldier. But he cares for Duo - a lot."  
  
" We can't let him know that Duo may become the threat you described," added Quatre. " He would do it - but it would kill him inside."  
  
" There would be two of us gone, instead of one." Trowa finished the discussion with finality.  
  
" Merde..." Remy blew his breath out. " You kids are screwed up, ain't ya?"  
  
" You have no idea."  
  
Four heads snapped up to see Heero Yuy standing behind them with a blank expression on his face.  
  
" H-Heero!" Quatre stuttered, jumping to his feet. Trowa eyed the Perfect Soldier warily, wondering how much he'd heard. Heero caught his gaze and he mentally flinched. He'd heard.  
  
" Hee-"  
  
" I know the risks Quatre," Heero cut the Arabian off. He felt his stomach clench in on itself and he took a deep breath. " If one is a tra-- liability, he must be eliminated." He couldn't call Duo a traitor. The braided American wasn't - he was being controlled by something that turned him against his training, against THEM. Not a traitor, but a liability.  
  
" But-"  
  
" I will be the one to take Duo down if it comes to that. Do you understand?" Heero glared at all of them in turn, including Remy. Trowa and Quatre nodded. Wufei scrutinized the Wing Zero pilot coolly.  
  
" What Chang?"  
  
" Nothing," Wufei shrugged. " I just hope that all of this is of course used as a last resort."  
  
" You know me better then that Wufei." Heero seemed to sag for a minute before straightening. Wufei noted this and nodded.  
  
" I do. And I apologize."  
  
" Unnecessary." Heero waved it off and looked at Remy. " You said Beast might have increased the odds of us finding him?"  
  
" You heard ALL dat?" Remy grinned at the boy. " I didn't even detect you - you are good."  
  
" Supposedly PERFECT," the boy bit out. Remy fell silent and even Quatre blinked at this. Heero stared back at the tall man. " When do we start looking?"  
  
" Prof needs to rest his mind - he'll try again tomorrow wit' de modified Cerebro unit."  
  
" Good." Heero turned and left the hangar area. The four looked at each other for a minute before Remy pushed himself away from the wall.  
  
" Well, you boys may not like t' sleep but I do." He yawned. " Gonna catch a few winks 'fore Cyke decided t' ring de mornin' bell." He waved at them as he disappeared into the house. The three remaining boys just sat there silently.  
  
    
  
End Part 5B  
  
Notes:  
  
1. Everette and Monet are Jubilee's Generation X team mates. Jube's has had a crush on Ev for a while but lately he's been following Monet around - whom I personally can't stand and put in the same class as Relena - so that's why Jubey's been visiting the X-mansion. Remember - any questions, please email me!  
  
C&C needed to sustain life! 


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own 'em even if I want 'em so don't sue. Please enjoy and tell me if you did!  
  
Title: Heart of Darkness  
  
Parts: 6A  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warnings: Angst, sap Pairings: 1x2, 3x4  
  
ENJOY!!  
  
   
  
   
  
1.1 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.1.1 Part 6A  
  
   
  
(Next Day)  
  
Jean rapped lightly against the heavy wooden door and felt an answering smile in her mind. Pushing it open, she entered quietly. The professor raised a hand at her entrance but finished his phone call before speaking.  
  
" Good morning Jean." He checked his watch. " Or should that almost be afternoon?"  
  
" I think we can consider it morning a little while longer," Jean chuckled, honest warmth circling the room and the man she almost considered like a father. " Though I think I'm being generous."  
  
" That you are Jean," Charles said quietly. " Much more then I have been, as of late."  
  
" Sir?"  
  
" I have been a terrible host to our guests," he admitted ruefully. " They've been here nearly three days now and I've barely spoken a word to them."  
  
" But you've been monitoring them," Jean countered. " You know that we can handle our visitors - it's you that has the best chance of finding their friend through Cerebro."  
  
" So diplomatic Jean," Charles smiled at his student fondly. " I thank you. And I believe I can now make up for my bad manners - I do believe I can at least narrow the search down for their friend Duo."  
  
" I know they'll be glad to hear that," Jean said softly, remembering the soulful look in Quatre's eyes when they'd first learned their friend was missing. " Especially Heero."  
  
" Such an odd young man," the professor mused. " So young and yet so old at the same time. Hardships bring about maturity in such a harsh and brutal manner. " He quirked his mouth. " I can understand why the loss of their comrade would affect them so."  
  
" They're all they know," Jean nodded. " A life of war does not make for many constants for them to hang on to. And we, better then anyone, know how strong friendships forged in the heat of battle can be."  
  
" All the more reason to bring the lost sheep back to the flock, no?" Charles closed his eyes.  
  
::Henry?::  
  
:: Ah, Charles - ready to, as they say, give it your best?:: The Beast's mental voice seemed more jovial then it had been the night before.  
  
:: Jean and I will be right down::  
  
Charles felt the connection between himself and Hank dissipate and he opened his eyes to Jean who had heard everything. He offered his arm to her, hovering wheel chair rising slightly to meet her height.  
  
" Shall we?"  
  
    
  
   
  
" Ya know sugah, you're more nervous then a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin' chairs," Rogue said playfully as she brushed her hair. Her comment was directed at the love of her life, sitting on the bed across from her, arms crossed, clearly enjoying the view. Remy grinned disarmingly at her.  
  
" Prof is ready to do some searchin'," was all he said, referring to the mental summoning he received. Rogue smirked and gripped his hand and dragged him out of their room in response. Remy was jerked off his feet by her strength and he literally flew through the air behind her! " AH! ROGUE! ARRET!"  
  
Her giggle was the only response he got as he sailed through the hallways.  
  
    
  
   
  
Quatre, Trowa and Wufei hadn't really moved since Gambit had left them early that morning to catch a few hours sleep. As Gundam pilots, they were used to keeping odd hours and going on little sleep, traits that had served them well in the past. Quatre had been lost in thought, mindful only of the strong arms wrapped loosely around him as he pondered all that they had been through since arriving in this strange world. He must have dozed off anyway, because the next thing he knew the shadows in the hangar had been chased away by sunlight streaming in through the concealed doors at the end of the large runway.  
  
A flicker caught his eye and he saw Wufei take out his sword and a rag and began polishing the silver metal. Quatre frowned. Wufei polishing his sword was a site not uncommon - but it also served as a soothing gesture for the pilot. Meaning something was disturbing him. He had a number of ideas as to what it could be but to be honest, he wasn't really sure. They were all worried about Duo - but what besides that could bring that little crease between the Chinese pilot's brows?  
  
" Wufei?"  
  
The pilot didn't bother to answer, preferring to lift a single eyebrow in his direction.  
  
" What's wrong?"  
  
Wufei snorted. " Need you ask?"  
  
About to comment, Quatre was cut off by the arrival of the Chinese girl they had so briefly met before in the sickbay.  
  
" Hey guys!"  
  
" Hello.... Jubilee, is it?" Quatre desperately hoped he had remembered her name properly. It would be so rude to do otherwise.  
  
" And you're Quatre, right? " Jubilee smiled at him and Quatre felt relieved, returning the smile whole-heartedly. Jubilee's smile was like Duo's - large, bright and cheery enough to take on the world. Which when you stopped to think about it, he reflected, was kinda what she and the X- Men did. On a fairly regular basis. " And this must be Trowa 'cause I know for a fact that you're Wufei!"  
  
This last statement was punctured with a finger pointing in Wufei's direction, the latter who froze, looking very much like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.  
  
" Miss Lee," he finally answered, warily eyeing the grinning girl as though she were an OZ operative in disguise. Jubilee grinned at him and them turned to face them all.  
  
" Well, let's go!" The Asian girl clapped her hands together briskly. " Up and at 'em!"  
  
" Where are we going?" Trowa spoke up.  
  
" The prof's gonna find your friend today," Jubilee shrugged. " Apparently, Beasty hooked an amp to Cerebro and it's gonna let him use that psy-mind of his to scan New York for your bud."  
  
Quatre and Trowa exchanged amused albeit confused glances.  
  
" Ano.... this Cerebro unit has been mentioned several times, but no one's actually said how it's going to find Duo," the Arabian said, scratching his head thoughtfully. Jubilee blinked - and then that easy smile on her face brightened.  
  
" Oh! Well, basically, Cerebro's like a computer that helps any telepath boost their power - the prof or Jean puts the little metal hat on and *poof* - they find what they're looking for!"  
  
" It's that simple?" Trowa asked skeptically. " Why didn't it work before?"  
  
Jubilee hesitated before answering. " Well, it takes a lot of power to use - Jean can only do it for so long and on a limited radius. Non-telepaths can use it too but don't get great results. The prof's the only one who can theoretically do a world-wide scan with it and that's at his full power which he doesn't have right now."  
  
Wufei noted the dark tone in her last few words. " Why not?"  
  
" 'Cause a while back, the prof kinda went schitzo on us and tried to take over the world," was her off-hand remark as she turned around. " Now come on - it's not every day non-X-Men get to see the prof hook himself up to an alien dishwasher and scrub out the inside of his head doin' searches."  
  
Trowa blanched. " That was supposed to be comforting?"  
  
    
  
   
  
Baka.  
  
Duo no baka.  
  
If he had just gotten into Deathscythe's cockpit instead of gaping, none of this would be happening.  
  
Damn American.  
  
Heero scowled blackly at the gleaming pond, the speckles of light trailing across the surface doing nothing to lighten his mood. It had only been three days since he'd last seen his partner - why was this having an effect on him?  
  
//Because you always knew where he was before// came a snide voice from within his mind. //And it's killing you that you, the Perfect Soldier, so BADLY screwed up his mission//  
  
Mission? What mission?  
  
They had taken out the laboratory as ordered.  
  
Mission completed.  
  
//Liar//  
  
Am not.  
  
//It's really pitiful when you argue with your own mind//  
  
Ite. Heero scowled even more ferociously, kicking at the ground, watching as a small rock was knocked into the water, causing small ripples to disturb the formerly tranquil surface of the lake.  
  
//He's your partner. You should have protected him//  
  
" Iie. He's my partner - I should be able to depend on his ability to take care of himself," Heero growled at his distorted reflection in the water. " He knew the risks. I knew the risks."  
  
//So?//  
  
" Arrgh!"  
  
//Just admit it - you miss that chatty motor-mouth partner of yours. Why else would you be trying to blow up the Danger Room every chance you get?//  
  
" Because...."  
  
//Yeah?//  
  
" Shut up."  
  
" Excuse me?"  
  
Heero whirled around, silently berating himself for not sensing anyone's approach. His gun appeared in his hand automatically and he fell into a typical crouching position, gun steady in his hands.  
  
Elapsed time: 1.5 seconds.  
  
His eyes widened slightly and then narrowed as he realized who it was. Long white hair, caramel skin, blue eyes. He stood up slowly, tucking the gun back into the waistband of his shorts as was his habit.  
  
" Storm."  
  
" Heero," she returned. " I thought I might find you out here."  
  
" Hn."  
  
" It's a very peaceful place," she continued, settling herself beside him on a large rock. She was dressed in her battle suit and Heero suddenly smirked. Storm quirked an elegant eyebrow at him.  
  
" What is so amusing?" she prompted him.  
  
" Just something D...something Duo might have thought of," he admitted, looking back out at the water.  
  
" Oh?" There was no denying the curious lilt in her voice.  
  
" He...makes fun of me for wearing nothing but tank tops and spandex. Even if they are comfortable and efficient for mission."  
  
" Yes....?"  
  
" I was wondering what he'd think about every single one of you dressing in spandex armor."  
  
Storm laughed out loud, causing Heero to flinch slightly. She smiled at him gently.  
  
" He's your best friend, isn't he?"  
  
Duo? His best friend? Heero thought about that for a second. A friend...did he realy know what those were? Well, Quatre, he supposed. The Arabian made friends with everybody, even that loud-mouthed Queen of the World that insisted on following him around like some deranged bloodhound.  
  
And Trowa? Well, he and sister DID help nurse him back to health after he'd self destructed.... but wasn't that out of pity? Maybe respect for a fellow pilot? Or was it because the uni-banged pilot actually did consider him a friend?  
  
Wufei...there was definitely a respect issue there. The Chinese pilot had a deep-rooted respect for justice and illustrated this belief with every battle he fought, coming to the rescue of his...well, yes, it must be his friends he considered them to be.  
  
And then there was Duo. The braided American had seemingly adopted him, helping him bandage his wounds, dragging him off to the basketball court for a quick game in between missions.... his mind travelled back to a moment before all this madness had started, back before they had met up with Quatre and a pair of hands soothing away the aches of battle in his shoulders.  
  
Something clicked in his mind and he opened his eyes to see Storm regarding him thoughtfully. It was small, unsure - and it may not have been the most reassuring site in the world - but Heero Yuy smiled.  
  
" Yes, he's my best friend," he said honestly. The voice in his head seemed to vanish with that admission and the tiny smile grew imperceptibly.  
  
Stormy nodded. " I thought so," she said softly, her voice sounding almost musical. " I was sent out here to get you - but I could see something weighing heavily on your mind." Her eyes twinkled. " Did you come to terms with it?"  
  
Heero felt the last of his doubts fade away. " I did."  
  
" Good." Storm stood gracefully, brushing away a non-existent wrinkle in her uniform. " Now, let's go. The professor is about to search for your friend and I think you might want to be there for when we find him."  
  
" Yes." Heero followed the stately woman back to the house.  
  
    
  
   
  
(Sinister's Lab)  
  
Sinister let the scene of the warehouse on the monitor go dark. It was time to leave a calling card for the X-Men. Threnody stood beside him, silent as she waited for her orders.  
  
" Summon Shinigami," he told her curtly. Nodding once, she turned on her heel and left the room. Sinister smiled into the empty room.  
  
" It's time we reunited him with his friends."  
  
    
  
End Part 6A  
  
Heh heh *rubs hands together* Next up - mass destruction and mayhem!!!  
  
Comments? Questions? Concerns? Gifts? Umm..forget that last bit.  
  
Please read the warnings on this one and the next few carefully. I will not be responsible if you get sick of some of the descriptions in the next few parts.  
  
Title: Into the Heart of Darkness  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Part: 6B  
  
Warnings: EXTREME GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, not for the faint of heart. Death of innocents, blood, some mild Quatre-torture, dark angst, OOC'ness especially in Duo.  
  
Pairings: Standard Stormy. If you don't know, ya haven't been reading. (For shame!)  
  
   
  
   
  
1.2 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.2.1 Part 6B  
  
   
  
Shinigami carefully strapped his scythe into the leather harness, listening to the satisfying "shlunck" as it slid home. He then pulled on his fingerless black gloves, stretching the material over his skin, rolling the edges at the wrist slightly before reaching back and hooking the harness across his chest so that his scythe rested across his back, within easy access. He slipped a dagger into the sheath hidden inside his black combat boot, the slender handle disappearing from view, and he stood up straight, swinging his arms, making sure his scythe was situated properly, and not impeding his freedom of movement.  
  
" Perfect."  
  
" Ready kid?" Forearm's harsh voice came from the doorway. Shinigami's eyes gleamed as he echoed the unspoken laughter hidden beneath the terse surface.  
  
" This is gonna be FUN!"  
  
Harpoon appeared next to Forearm; even his normally angry face had the faint hint of anticipation. He jerked a thumb towards the doorway.  
  
" We have our orders," he said tersely. " Fatale's waiting."  
  
" Let's do it." Harpoon was eager to move. Shinigami felt his lips curl up in a familiar smirk and moved forward silently, eagerly anticipating what was to come.  
  
    
  
   
  
Sinister watched Fatale's telltale energy signature from her teleportation circle dissipate into the air, fading with casual grace from his scanning devices. Flicking a switch, he activated his cameras again - ones he had set up a long time ago in preparation for a day like today. Sinister watched as the four of them appeared at their destination, blinking lights on a three-dimensional map, and a delicious shiver ran down his spine. One gloved finger traced the computer-generated map and he chuckled evilly. Coldly.  
  
" Begin: End Game."  
  
    
  
   
  
Lori Carter could vaguely remember a time, long ago, when life had been better, when she had once been truly happy. True happiness seemed like a dream whose reality continuously eluded her grasping fingers the more she searched for it. Surely someday she would feel happiness again. One day it would appear - one day her years of fear and isolation would end and she'd have back what she once had. One day.  
  
Right?  
  
As a child, she'd run around her parent's home and big backyard, nestled away in the Catskills, not knowing of the harsher side of life. Echoes of laughter rang in the hollows of her mind and the woman brushed away a non- existent tear. Once, she had cried. Once she had blamed God for allowing her to be born. For making her...one of them. Lori stifled the scream the welled up in the back of her throat and forced it away with great gulps of air. No more. No more crying. THIS was her life. She would have to get used to it.  
  
She rose quietly from the pile of rags and garbage bags she laughingly called a bed and stretched, noting the muted sounds of the people sharing the abandoned building with her.  
  
They were all like her - alone, abandoned for being different. Mutants.  
  
She shivered - the word itself meant being genetically different, but the taunts and jeers of countless 'flatscans' [1] had turned the clinical, scientific term into the cruellest of insults. It wasn't her fault or theirs, that one day they had woken up to a different set of puberty- induced problems. She remembered that day. Too well.  
  
She remembered waking up one day feeling strange. For some reason, everything had seemed just a bit.... more, then usual. The traffic outside had been too loud, grating upon suddenly sensitive ears. The smells wafting up from the breakfast room had been too strong, the light streaming in the window seeming to be a bit too harsh for her eyes, prickling them, causing tears to form. And her face...  
  
Her entire face felt swollen, awkward. Still half-asleep, she'd stumbled out of bed, heading for the bathroom, convinced she was coming down with something. Intent on finding some aspirin, she'd reached for the bathroom cupboard, sleepy eyes finally registering her reflection in the mirror on the wall.  
  
The piercing, haunted scream of fear and panic had brought her parents running upstairs, crying out their daughter's name, afraid something had happened to their little girl. Lori remembered turning terrified eyes on her parents, watching with shocked detachment as they actually froze, before stumbling back slightly. They took in the tufts of fur on her ears, the elongation of a previously heart-shaped face, and the small black nose perched impertinently on the tip.  
  
" You're one of THEM.... a.a...MUTIE!" Lori trembled as she remembered the hissed words, accusations cutting through her fragile, pre-teen psyche like knives. Her parents had disowned her, casting her aside like a pair of old sneakers that had outlived their usefulness.  
  
" We'll try again..." she remembered hearing her father promise her sobbing mother, holding her tight as he kicked the door shut behind her.  
  
Lori closed her eyes and slowly regained her composure. No sense in re- living such painful moments of her life. It could have been worse - she was alive, right? She was one of the lucky ones - able to forage and steal with more skill then the others. Her deformities that screamed 'MUTANT' kept her from having to sell her body like the rest of them. She opened her eyes, watching with resignation as the rest of the inhabitants of the building came awake. A young man with white eyes walked up to her, silently handing her an apple.  
  
::Breakfast:: she heard the boy speak to her mind, with some effort and she smiled at the youth, genuinely smiling for the first time since waking up that day.  
  
" Jeremy! I heard your WORDS!"  
  
::happy/gratitude/bashfulment:: was sent back to her and she nodded understandingly. Jeremy wasn't been able to speak. Born a blind mute, he'd been able to move around using the eyes of others. Able to feel and send emotions, Lori had been working with him, trying to increase his ability to the point where he'd be able to "talk" with them.  
  
" That's wonderful, Jer - just think! If you keep practising, you'll be able to have 'conversations'!" She ruffled the shaggy mop of blond hair on his head and he blushed, pupilless eyes being covered by lowering lashes.  
  
::embarrassment/happy/hope::  
  
Lori bit her lip. Hope.  
  
" Keep trying, kid," she whispered. With a final tug on the blond hair, she lightly pushed the boy away to feed the others, before biting into the apple she'd been given. Suddenly, her ears pricked as she heard sounds from outside. She dropped the apple, noting that Jeremy had froze in the act of waking a young girl. She sniffed the air uneasily, registering three...no, four new scents in the air. About to go to the main door, she was prevented from doing so by a large explosion. The door blew open, wooden shrapnel striking an old man in the head and knocking him out instantly. Lori cried out, huddling next to another young girl her age. She could feel Jeremy broadcasting his fear and terror and she raised her head cautiously.  
  
A group of men dressed in what looked like black leather stood in the modified doorway. Two large hulking men, one with four arms, the other cradling what looked like a harpoon let their cold gaze travel over the huddled masses. Entering after them was an exotic-looking woman with Asian features, dressed head to toe in purple and yellow spandex. A third boy dressed in the same black leather as his male partners was right beside her, all of them lined up for their eyes to see.  
  
" Wha...what do you want?" Lori asked hesitantly, automatically moving forwards, keeping the girl and as many of the other homeless people behind her as she appointed herself defacto leader and stepped in front of them. The big man with four arms met her movement and reached out with one grimy, calloused hand, tracing a lock of her hair causally. Lori knew she should have felt outraged but her stomach had collapsed out of her, fear freezing her feet in place, preventing her arms from rising him and smacking his hand away. The group reeked of danger - she didn't need her mutant powers to tell her that - and her fears were justified as the man smiled ferally at her.  
  
" What do I want.....that's a very good question." The man's head turned fractionally to speak to his partner. " 'Poon? What do I want?"  
  
" Probably the usual," came a snarling chuckle from the Indian-looking man. On closer inspection, Lori noticed the 'harpoon' was made of energy. She gasped as the four-armed man leaned in closer, recapturing her attention.  
  
" Ya know...he's right. The usual." His hand snapped out and gripped her throat with crushing force, lifting her off the ground. She gurgled incoherently, eyes wide pain and surprise as she fought for breath, stars dancing in front of her eyes. Vaguely, she could hear the whimpers of fear from the people behind her. The man holding her almost casually, smiled at her attempts to breath. " The usual. Your death."  
  
With that, he squeezed. Hard. Lori had a fleeting moment of regret that she'd never see Jeremy have a 'conversation' before her world went black.  
  
    
  
   
  
Forearm waited until the woman stopped thrashing, until the light of life faded from her blue eyes and she hung limply in his grasp. Chuckling, he threw her body to one side, ignoring the dull thud it made as the corpse struck the wall and hit the ground. Shouts and screams began to rise up among the remaining homeless and Shinigami pushed his way forward.  
  
" Shit, they're noisy," he growled. " What about the cops?"  
  
Harpoon grinned. " Sinister prepared this place. Watch." Bringing out a small device, he pressed the button in the bottom corner, and an energy field sprouted up around them. Shinigami's quick eyes traced the energy back to their original loaction and he blinked at the sight of several black boxes spread out all over the warehouse main floor. " No one can get in or out. And no on can hear."  
  
" Cool." Shinigami's gaze turned from curious to predatory. " Can I play now?"  
  
" Go kid."  
  
With a snarl, Shinigami leaped into the air, pulling his scythe from his back in mid-air and ripping a long slash through the floor, melting away the cement. Landing in a group of terrified mutants, Shinigami felt the last of his humanity slip away as he got drunk on their fear. The doubts he'd been having faded away - seemed the longer he was with them, the more right his actions were. His namesake reared up within him and he howled, ripping the green flame through a man dumb enough to try and sneak up on him. The man's body was sheared in half, a spray of blood painting the horrified faces of his friends. The smell of hot blood spurred on the others and Shinigami felt, rather then saw, his partners wade into the party.  
  
Another man with clawed fingernails, tried to swipe at him but Shinigami chuckled, blocking the strike with the metal staff of his scythe, before launching his foot into the man's throat, crushing his windpipe. The man's anguished cry petered out into death gurgles as Shinigami turned, watching, eyes slitted with delight, as a handful of homeless people clawed desperately at the energy field, seeing the blue sky of freedom achingly close, but beyond their reach. A young man with black hair stared at Shinigami, defiance battling with fear in those dark eyes. Shinigami paused for a second, sensing another familiar memory on the tip of his brain before his eyes darkened, battle lust raging through his veins. He backhanded the boy with the scythe, listening with pleasure at the sound of breaking bones.  
  
Some kind of energy struck his shoulder, and he snarled, looking up, eyes alight with fury as he traced their point of origin to a brown-haired girl who's hands were still glowing.  
  
" Someone's been a ba-ad girl," he sing-songed mockingly. The girl trembled yet she raised her hands again. Shinigami prepared to dodge when a familiar bolt of energy lanced straight through the girl's heart, electrocuting her nerve system. The girl's body was still smoking as she hit the ground, eyes lifeless. Shinigami looked up to see Harpoon already forming another energy spear.  
  
" Move it kid!" he snarled, before hurling the spear through the body of an old man.  
  
Shinigami nodded, already on the hunt again. Death was wearing black leather and he was taking no prisoners.  
  
    
  
   
  
The professor put Cerebro's helmet on his head, nodding over at Jean who double checked the controls. Hank bounded about, checking and rechecking the wires leading into the amplifier from the Cerebro unit.  
  
Quatre stood next to Trowa, feeling the anticipation building. Surely this time they'd find Duo. Quatre had the bizarre feeling something was wrong - normally he'd be able to sense when one of them was hurt - it was a talent he'd honed during all their fighting. Duo wasn't hurt - he'd know it. But something was definitely wrong. That much he could tell.  
  
He spared a glance up at his green-eyed lover, who somehow sensed his unease and squeezed his hand comfortingly. Quatre sighed and looked across the room.  
  
Gambit and Rogue stood side by side. The Cajun leaned against the wall, seemingly in a relaxed pose, but Quatre noted the man's hands, constantly shuffling a pack of cards between tense fingers. He could feel it too. The skunk-haired woman leaned against his arm, showing her man her support while not being overwhelming, appreciating his need for some space.  
  
Quatre's gaze next travelled to Wufei, who stood, back to the wall, arms crossed, eyes scowling at anyone and everyone who dared look his way. Those black eyes encountered light blue and softened slightly, black-haired head nodding once before resuming it's blatant glare. Beside Wufei, the young girl Jubilee watched them all, worry evident in her dark eyes.  
  
Quatre wasn't quite sure what to make of Jubilee - the girl was bubbly and friendly all right, but she made him nervous. The plasma sparks she constantly generated and dissipated weren't helping. She kept throwing anxious glances at the tough man beside her.  
  
Wolverine. The man gave Quatre the shivers. He could sense years of anger, rage and hostility beneath that glare - the glare he'd thought patented by Heero. But Quatre watched the man meet Jubilee's worried gaze and he reached out, gripping her shoulder and squeezing it once in reassurement before resuming his arms-crossed position. Quatre observed the two for a minute, noting the apparent father-daughter relationship, and knew there was more to the feral man then he'd initially thought. Logan had a compassionate streak in him. Not much, but enough to win over a street-wise young girl. Enough to reach out to a lost boy who was raised to be the perfect weapon of war. Speaking of Heero...  
  
Quatre's eyes rested on the large metal doors, willing them to open. As if in answer to his wish, the doors slid apart with a loud 'whoosh, permitting the admittance of Storm and Heero.  
  
" Heero."  
  
Quatre spoke his name and the boy's eyes met his. Quatre sucked in his breath as he noted the calmness in the normally rigid boy's demeanour and he nudged Trowa who eyed Heero thoughtfully.  
  
Heero, while still eyeing everyone in the room warily, seemed to have lost some invisible weight - like some mental burden had been lifted from his shoulders. Trowa stared - and then nodded, coming to his own silent conclusion.  
  
Wufei's eyes bored into the Perfect Soldier, instantly sensing the change in him and was equally quick to make his own assessment. Heero had lost that look in his eyes, the one that constantly reminded Wufei of all the times he'd fought with himself and his emotions. The look on Heero's face was one of he who had banished the demon within himself, accepting it and making its issue pointless.  
  
There weren't too many things that Heero worried about or even thought about that would bring about that kind of internal struggle. Wufei tilted his head at Heero who shrugged casually before turning his look on the bouncing blue doctor and the Professor.  
  
Jean had been observing all of them since Heero's entrance thirty seconds ago and she marvelled at the boy's ability to communicate so easily without words. Initially she would have assumed Quatre had something to do with it, being somewhat of an empath, but now she dismissed that idea. It was obviously something much more complicated then mere telepathy. She snorted at the idea of telepathy being trivial - but she knew it to be true in this case. These four boys obviously communicated on a level far beyond mere words - and beyond telepathy. Bound together by blood and tears, they shared a link that Jean herself could only compare to the one she shared with her own husband, who at the moment was standing next to the Professor, talking in low tones. Jean cleared her throat.  
  
:: Ready, lover-mine?::  
  
:: Really Jean,:: the professor chuckled in her mind. :: Must you be so forward? Especially with your husband here.::  
  
Jean laughed at the light teasing. :: Scott?::  
  
:: All set.::  
  
" Good." All eyes turned to her as she motioned for Scott and Beast to step away from the machine. The professor adjusted the helmet.  
  
" Beginning search," she said and pushed the button. Charles Xavier's eyes screwed shut as the overwhelming images of thousands of people flooded his mind, blocking his awareness of those with him.  
  
" Ah!"  
  
Charles cried out as more and more images poured into his head. People walking, people laughing, holding hands, people fighting.  
  
A girl searched for her dog, crying as she feared he'd never come home.  
  
A young man with two white streaks in his hair lifted his head as he felt the search before going back to his lunch.  
  
A blond woman stopped her lecture to her gifted students as she felt the familiar mind wash fleetingly over hers, before continuing.  
  
An older man with energy bursting out of a star shaped scar over his left eye tensed as if in preparation for an attack, only to relax slightly as he registered who was scanning.  
  
Beast frowned at the shaking Professor but Charles looked at him, perspiration dotting his forehead.  
  
" N-No Hank...i-it's fine....t-turn it up.."  
  
Hank looked at Jean who was monitoring the professor.  
  
" He's with in normal levels, Hank," she said. " The amplifier just surprised him."  
  
Heero watched the proceedings, eyes filled with hope for the first time since he could remember, as the process seemed to be working. Gambit and Wolverine traded concerned looks at each other before focussing back on the prussion-eyed youth.  
  
Quatre rubbed his chest absently as a faint twinge of pain registered. Maybe it was being in the presence of so much psychic energy but for the first time since waking up in this strange dimension, he could feel his tenuous link with Duo strengthen suddenly.  
  
" OH!"  
  
Quatre doubled over, faintly registering Trowa's arms supporting him. He could sense Duo, could feel the blood lust with in him. A snarling animal, anger and elation flooding his senses, had replaced the laughing joker. " DUO!"  
  
" Quatre!" Trowa looked up as Wufei appeared next to them. Jean was still monitoring the professor but her eyes locked onto the small blond who was shaking in Trowa's arms. She reached for the button to shut off the machine when Quatre staggered forward.  
  
" NO!" He gasped, reaching out and latching onto the computer console, aware of Trowa and Wufei right behind him. He could feel Heero's eyes burning a hole in his back. " M-my space h-heart....I can FEEL him again...k-keep l-looking...." Blue eyes stared up at Jean and she automatically sent soothing thoughts out to the boy. " He's a-angry....and f-fighting.." Quatre swallowed his nausea at the bloodstained images of a snarling Duo. He couldn't 'see' what the American was doing EXACTLY, but he knew it wasn't good.  
  
Heero's fists clenched as he heard Quatre's words. The feeling of rightness he'd had since confessing his feelings to Storm faded away in light of this new tension. Wordlessly, he turned back to the professor, mentally snarling at him to hurry up and find his baka. The tension level in the room elevated with every passing second, punctuated by the pained gasps emitted by Quatre as he received the psychic backlash of whatever was happening to Duo.  
  
Jubilee cowered back a bit - this was something she hadn't seen before. Wolverine wrapped one arm around her shoulders and she hugged him, feeling afraid for the first time in a long time.  
  
Jean knew the professor was still having a hard time filtering out all the minds in his head, something he had to do before he could BEGIN a more sophisticated search. Suddenly an idea popped into her head and she sent a wave of energy towards Quatre. Brushing a tendril against the barricades in his mind, she silently asked for admittance and she felt Quatre relax slightly.  
  
Quatre was lost in his link with Duo when he felt Jean's awareness brush up against his. He gasped and straightened as she probed his mind gently, searching.  
  
:: Quatre, relax,:: she sent soothingly. :: You're remotely connected to Duo - I can provide a link between you and the professor::  
  
:: Will it find him faster?:: Quatre sent back.  
  
:: Possibly.::  
  
:: Do it.:: With that, Quatre's walls simply dropped out of sight and Jean felt the full force of his link with his team-mates. She gasped as she felt his pain for Duo, Trowa's concern, Heero's worry, and Wufei's anger.... Cyclops reached out and steadied his wife, providing her with a stable ground on which to anchor herself.  
  
:: You can do it love:: she felt him, a faint whisper at the back of her mind and she nodded within herself, strengthening her resolve. The professor sensed what she was doing and relaxed his own walls, seeking out her mind and latching on to it. Jean let herself flow with the energy, letting her mind act as a bridge between Quatre and the professor. Used to dealing with multiple minds, she simply blocked all the other images brought out by Cerebro, easier for her since she wasn't directly connected to Cerebro like Charles. She then turned her mind towards Quatre, knowing the boy wasn't used to dealing with other people being in his head. She put up a mental wall, allowing only the images he was receiving from Duo filter through, and even muted those somewhat.  
  
Trowa felt Quatre relax slightly in his grip and he brushed those blond bangs off his love's forehead, examining his eyes for awareness. Quatre returned the look with a shaky smile.  
  
" I-It's okay Trowa...Jean blocked part of it," he said as he leaned closer to the brown-haired youth. Trowa still looked uneasy and he tightened his grip. Wufei heard Quatre's words and met Heero's eyes, knowing they were wondering the same thing: what was happening to Duo that could cause such pain in Quatre?  
  
    
  
End Part 6B  
  
1.2.2  
  
1.2.3  
  
1.2.4 Part 6C  
  
   
  
Shinigami cackled as he swung his scythe around, not caring anymore where the blows landed, slicing and dicing, letting the actions flow naturally. Blood painted the walls, the whole warehouse resembling a butcher shop. The smell of blood heated his own, his excitement level rising until he lost himself in Death's revelry. He was the Reaper - harvesting souls, gathering their spirits. Death struck, scythe flashing, hints of the indestructible metal glinting through the rusty haze covering both it and its wielder.  
  
Harpoon and Forearm were beating on a pair of young mutants who bravely fought back with their limited powers, knowing they were about to die, but not about to leave with out a fight. Fatale stood in the corner, watching impassively. This was not her fight - she did not have to participate. One eye narrowed cruelly. That didn't mean she couldn't be a spectator.  
  
A movement caught Shinigami's eye and he saw a blond-haired youth struggling beneath a section of wall that had collapsed from where his scythe had destroyed the support beam. Shinigami pounced, drawing the young man out and slamming him into the destroyed wall, knocking away more bits of plaster and wood planks. The blond hair fascinated him and he pulled the youth's head back. The boys blank eyes stared back at him unseeingly and Shinigami growled. Suddenly a tingling struck his awareness, the sensation of someone invading him crawling through his mind like lightning. Shinigami shook his head and suddenly realized what he was feeling - the boy whose life he held in his hands, was trying vainly to look through his eyes, to see for himself what was happening. He dropped his scythe as he slammed one hand against his head, trying to drive out the intruder. He chuckled hoarsely, stumbling as the boy fought for control of his mind.  
  
" Wanna see what I'm doing?" he choked out a laugh. " You can watch yourself die!"  
  
With that, he ripped out the dagger from his boot and slashed it across the boy's throat, watching the red liquid well up and gush over his fingers, still clutching the dying boy's shirtfront. He felt a scream within his mind and he fell to the ground with a thump as the boy's presence vanished from his mind, trying to block out the never-ending scream of agony that followed.  
  
    
  
   
  
Quatre cried out and the professor echoed him as a young psi's powers flared briefly and then died within their link. Quatre choked and would have fallen but Trowa prevented him from moving.  
  
" Quatre?" he asked urgently. The boy was shaking violently, coughing and choking, clawing at his throat. A glance upward and he saw Jean doing the same thing, one hand gripping her throat, the other having a firm grip on her husband. The professor shouted, slamming his fist down on the console. Jean batted away her husband's arm as she groped wildly for the power button. Cyclops understood her intent and punched it. Charles ripped the helmet off his head in one violent move gasping for air. Next to Trowa and Wufei, Quatre lost his battle with his stomach as he vomited, sick to his soul at what he had witnessed. Heero didn't know who to turn to - he looked helplessly at Quatre and then over to the shaking Jean grey, and finally at the professor who was being held up by both his hover chair, and Hank.  
  
" What happened?" Wolverine growled, body taut with tension. Gambit and Rogue had automatically assumed battle positions at the first sounds of screaming coming from all three of them. Storm, assisting Beast with Charles, looked at Jean who looked to have regained control of her senses.  
  
" Jean?"  
  
" Some boy...y-young empath," Jean coughed. " He t-tried to take over Duo's mind...."  
  
" Is he all right?" Heero asked. He didn't mention whether he was referring to Duo or the boy. He didn't need to.  
  
" H-he severed.... the link.." Jean choked out, tears starting to form in her eyes. Scott wrapped his arms around her.  
  
Heero growled and spun around. " Severed the link?"  
  
Quatre laughed hollowly as he looked up at Heero with blank eyes. " The link, and the boy's throat," he said hoarsely.  
  
Heero felt like someone punched a hole through him. Duo had just committed murder.  
  
" Boy?" He whispered in disbelief. Jean nodded roughly.  
  
" Y-young...your age...just d-discovering his powers...I-I think..." the tears that had started to form now fell freely down her face as she clutched her husband.  
  
" Duo..."  
  
" Sir?" Beast held Charles upper body by the shoulders. " Sir? Are you all right? Charles!"  
  
Charles opened his eyes wearily, staring at his student with such sadness, that Hank bit back any further comments and merely waited for his teacher to speak.  
  
" I am most assuredly...NOT all right..." he said at last. He looked past Hank to where Jean was sobbing into Scott's chest, and then to Quatre who seemed to be going into shock. Heero was vibrating with tension, rivulets of blood tracing down his fingers, dripping off clenched knuckles, so tightly had he clenched his fists.  
  
" Is Duo okay?" he asked again, turning the full force of his death glare on him. Charles laughed bitterly, moping the sweat from his face.  
  
" For now he's.... fine.." Charles closed his eyes again. " But that boy is dead..."  
  
Jean had regained part of her composure and was looking with concern at Quatre.  
  
" Quatre felt that the most strongly," she said hoarsely. " He was connected to Duo when Duo was taken over. He felt the boy die - felt Duo kill him..."  
  
" He enjoyed it..." came a faint whisper. Trowa's eyes snapped back to the blond he held.  
  
" Quatre?"  
  
" He enjoyed it !" Quatre said insistently, eyes wild, his face nearly white. " He slit that boys throat.... and he ENJOYED it!"  
  
Wufei made a strangled noise in the back of his throat and Heero turned white.  
  
" No..."  
  
" It's NOT your Duo!" Jean said weakly. " He's being controlled by Sinister..."  
  
Her arguments fell on deaf ears. Her words may have been true. Probably were. But what they knew and what the X-Men didn't, was that Quatre was sick because Duo's actions were familiar. Quatre remembered seeing Duo's face in his mind for a split second - that maniacal, bloodthirsty grin as he painted the walls red. The same grin he wore in battle. Looking at his three partners, Quatre knew that they understood what he was saying. Duo had enjoyed it. It may not have been Duo agreeing to do it, but it was Duo doing the killing. It was his style - the abandonment of control, the sheer recklessness - Duo had killed the boy. Even if it was under the wrong orders, or if he was being controlled.  
  
Quatre felt sick again. If Duo ever returned to his senses - even if they were able to break whatever force was controlling him - the braided American would never be the same. None of them would. His mind raced with the problems, concerns this raised and he felt a wave of pity wash over himself. Poor Duo. Such an understatement but he repeated it over and over in a dry whisper. " Poor Duo, oh god, poor Duo..."  
  
Heero licked his suddenly dry lips and turned to the Professor.  
  
" W-were.... were you able to find out where he is?"  
  
The professor nodded and pressed a button. A map suddenly appeared on a computer screen and the professor studied it for a minute before pointing a shaking finger. Cyclops nodded once and turned. Wolverine and Gambit ran after him, Rogue flying behind. Storm supported Jean who sat down heavily. Heero looked at Quatre who was still shaking and nodded. Wufei stood up, fingered his sword lightly and turned dark eyes on cobalt blue.  
  
Heero's mouth opened and closed a few times before he was able to speak.  
  
" M-Mission...Accepted."  
  
Quatre's gasp echoed after them as Heero and Wufei raced out the door after the X-Men.  
  
    
  
   
  
A hand gripped the front of his uniform and hauled him to his feet.  
  
" Whats the matter kid?" growled Forearm. " Gettin' soft on us?"  
  
Shinigami forced his eyes open as the scream died and he sighed with relief. His eyes met those of his partner and he shook his head.  
  
" Got in my mind," he said darkly, glaring balefully at the still-warm body. " M'okay now."  
  
Forearm dropped him and he scrambled for his scythe, picking it up protectively.  
  
" We done?"  
  
" Almost - found a few more - they've got some good hiding spots. Flush 'em out."  
  
Shinigami nodded and leaped to his feet, manoeuvring skilfully around the bodies. He heard a gurgling noise as Harpoon threw a psi-spear through a mutant girl whose body dripped with some substance that ate away at the floor where it fell. Acid or something. She threw handfuls of the stuff, dodging the first spear but she fell prey to the second, writhing and convulsing as the spear short-circuited her nervous system. Her thrashing slowly ceased in its intensity and Harpoon chuckled.  
  
" Interesting," he said, motioning to the puddle of acid spilling across the floor. Shinigami shrugged and turned to find his next target.  
  
    
  
   
  
The Blackbird was ready when the group arrived at the hangar, having been activated by remote control. The ramp lowered and Cylops ran up, seating himself in the pilot's seat. Remy appointed himself co-pilot and Wolverine sat next Heero and Wufei. Rogue had already flown ahead, knowing the other's would follow. Cyclops punched in the VTOL and the black plane shuddered as it slowly lifted. Heero was champing at the bit but knew the importance of a clean takeoff. The Blackbird hovered for a second while Gambit entered their destination. The rear jets fired, flames shooting out and scorching the wall as Cyclops ignored the usual taxiing procedure and flew the large plane up the ramp, focusing on not scraping either side of the tunnel. Bursting free of the mountainside, Cyclops increased the speed and flew out into the sky.  
  
    
  
   
  
It wasn't a well-known fact but the mutant known as Rogue was capable of achieving speeds that broke the sound barrier. It wasn't something she displayed on a regular basis. But this was extremely urgent and she felt the sonic boom ruffle the sound waves as she increased her speed, willing her body to go even faster. Within fifteen seconds, she was nearing the area pointed out by the professor.  
  
It was a large building and Rogue touched down in front of it, eyeing the area with some confusion. She wasn't an expert but if people were dying, shouldn't you hear something? Anything? Suddenly, her eyes registered a faint blue aura covering the bulding.  
  
" Well, THAT explains it," she mumbled and shrugged. She backed up and then charged the barrier.  
  
" YEOW!!!"  
  
Rogue's jacket was still smoking as the Blackbird landed two minutes later. The five onboard charged down the ramp. Gambit noticed Rogue's singed state and rasied a single eyebrow.  
  
" Not ONE word, swamp rat." She turned towards her leader. " Some kind of energy field."  
  
Cyclops nodded and looked at Gambit. " We can handle that."  
  
    
  
   
  
Fatale was enjoying the show as it began to slow down, the mission nearing its completion. So thoroughly was she into it that her normally attune senses didn't register the arrival of anyone outside the building.  
  
So it was a complete surprise when an explosion erupted behind her, completely knocking her off her feet. She looked up in shock, noting that all action had ceased in the background, as six figures appeared before her.  
  
    
  
   
  
" Holy shit," breathed Cyclops. Wolverine snarled, feeling the rage start to overtake him at the sight of such carnage.  
  
Rogue gasped, clapping a hand to her mouth. For her, it was like a repeat of the Morlock Massacre...her eyes narrowed to green slits as she looked for the attackers. Gambit felt himself start to shake with both revulsion and complete anger at the blood-spattered room. He locked eyes with a surprised Forearm and reached into his pocket for another card.  
  
Finally, Heero and Wufei entered the room, stopping short at what lay before them. Bodies everywhere, mutilated, gore painting the room. The smell of blood was cloying and heavy in their noses. Wufei forced himself to stay put instead of running out of the room to be sick. And Heero...  
  
Upon entering the room, Heero had gone into Soldier mode. He noted the carnage and set it aside to deal with later. Searching wildly, his eyes fell on a black-clad person clutching a scythe and staring at them with feral determination.  
  
" D-Duo?" He asked shakily. The demonic apparition in black snarled, hefting his scythe. The movement broke the trance of everyone in the room and Forearm charged Cyclops. Cyclops struck him down with a burst of energy, driving the man back, slamming him into the far wall. Leaping overtop of the beam, Wolverine attacked Harpoon, raking at the big man's body with his claws. Harpoon ducked and fired up two spears, launching them one after another. Wolverine dodged the first one but his movement carried him into the path of the second one. He howled in agony as his body began twitching and thrashing. Gambit flung a handful of cards, explosions hiding the man from sight for a minute before the smoke cleared, revealing Harpoon on the ground, moaning in pain. His interception allowed Wolverine the time he needed for his healing factor to kick in.  
  
Rogue had her hands full of Asian assassin. Fatale revelled in the hand-to- hand combat and sliced at the mutant with her dagger. A master of the Ghost Tiger technique, she could blend in with shadows and light, a hiding place in plain sight from which to launch her attacks.  
  
Rogue knew the dagger couldn't harm her, but the substance coating the blade could. Fatale was known for coating her blades with various poisons and she jumped back out of range. Fatale seemed to fade away and Rogue barely sensed her in time to turn and block the downward stab of the knife. At that point, it was all over for Fatale. Rogue used the other arm NOT occupied with holding the knife, to slam it into the assassin's face, the force of her blow rocking Fatale back, out cold on her feet. Rogue stood up and dusted off her hands, checking the progress of her team-mates. She blinked. Wufei was unconscious and Heero was facing down Duo, face stony but agony written in his blue eyes. She started towards them but was held back by a firm grip on her arm.  
  
Gambit stood next to her.  
  
" Harpoon and Forearm are out - Logan be securin' dem," he said in a low voice. " Dis be between dem."  
  
Rogue nodded once and he released her arm, watching the events unfold.  
  
    
  
End Part 6C  
  
1.2.5 Part 6D  
  
   
  
Quatre was still shaking even as Trowa rubbed his arms, trying to provide a measure of warmth and comfort for the small Arabian. Across the room, Jubilee blinked and then slowly came over to them. She watched Trowa murmur soothingly for a few minutes before kneeling in front of them, staring Quatre in the face.  
  
" Quatre?" The blond looked up, still in shock. Trowa's brows creased slightly.  
  
" I don't understand," he murmured. " He's seen people kill before - why is he taking it so hard?"  
  
" Because it happened in his MIND," Jubilee said, reaching out with one gentle hand to cup Quatre's chin, tilting the pale face to hers. " He's in psychic shock right now - a psi's mind just died on the psychic plane - and he was connected to it via his link with Duo--"  
  
" --whom the boy tried to possess," finished Trowa, understanding dawning in his green eyes. " Will he be okay?"  
  
" Oh sure," Jubilee said, shrugging casually. " He's conscious and vaguely aware of us - that's better then some psi-victims I've seen."  
  
" Better?"  
  
" Least he's not drooling, or spazzing on us." Jubilee squinted, staring at the blond. " Yo, Quatre! Wake up!"  
  
" Maybe we should take him to the medical facilities," Trowa began, looking over to where the Beast was currently conversing with Jean and the Professor, both who looked exhausted. Jean felt Trowa's thoughts directed at her and she raised her head.  
  
" Quatre will be fine Trowa," she said reassuringly. " I'm monitoring him right now - he's just overwhelmed by what he experienced. I put a mental block up for him until he regains his composure enough to do it himself. Still.... Hank?"  
  
Giving Charles one last look over, Beast bounded over to the three teenagers. Flicking out a penlight, he shone the beam into Quatre's face, the latter who blinked, irritated at the intrusion of light, and swatted it away.  
  
" M'okay, lemme go," he said weakly, batting at the furry blue hand that was determined to stick the light right up against his retinas, it seemed. Trowa let out an uncharacteristic sigh of relief and Jubilee sat back with a smug look on her face.  
  
" See? I told ya."  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero had thought there was nothing left that could shock him in life. Born and bred to be the Perfect Soldier, he'd survived years of intense training to build up his strength of body and strength of mind, the perfect accompaniment to the ultimate weapon - the Gundam. Even meeting others like him, others trained and willing to fight for the freedom of their colonies, didn't faze him much - in the back of his mind he'd expected as much. After all, it was ludicrous to assume one boy was going to end the entire war, right?  
  
No - it wasn't battle that shocked him. It had been the personalities of the other pilot. From Wufei's firm belief in justice, to Trowa's stoic determination to outrun his past, to Quatre's gentleness. Based on each of their backgrounds, he could accept this. He knew why Wufei fought, where he got his fanatical thirst for justice from. Trowa had grown up without a name, a blank spot in the past of Nanashi. Where Quatre had gotten his gentle side was blatantly obvious - he was the only one born into a family, raised by his father and twenty-nine sisters. No, all the other pilots were clear to him.  
  
It was the cocky, cheerful pilot from L2 that had confused him. He'd assumed the maniac pilot of Deathscythe had had a similar childhood to Quatre's - how else could you explain Duo Maxwell's childish behaviour, generous nature and all around happy attitude?  
  
It had come as a complete shock when Heero, not wanting to be left in the dark over the people he had to work with, hacked into one of L2's main computers, running cross-checks on anything Maxwell. It had come as a complete surprise that Duo shared the same last name as the doomed church that met its fate in an OZ attack. Deeming it to be a coincidence, a chance glimpse at a vid-clip had frozen him in his seat.  
  
A news report, taken just minutes after the bombing. A camera, panning the still smoking ruins of what used to be a church orphanage, skimming over bodies hastily covered with sheets. A flash of chestnut brown hair and wide, terrified, violet eyes.  
  
Heero remembered pausing the clip and leaning forwards, staring intensely at the picture of a young Duo Maxwell, huddled next to the body of a dead nun, staring up at the camera in complete shock. The clip continued, voices calling out in shock that there had been a survivor, hands reaching for the boy. The clip ended with Duo whirling around and flying nimbly across the destroyed churchyard. One last glance at the camera showed the shock, the fear, and the overwhelming sadness in those purple eyes. Heero had shut off the computer and just thought about that, waiting for Duo to return that night to confront him.  
  
It had been a complete revelation. Duo hadn't been particularly upset that Heero had gone snooping around in his past - no, he'd seemed shocked and even a little grateful that someone had seemed to care enough to want to know more about him. Slowly, haltingly, Duo had told Heero his story.  
  
How he'd been left to fend for himself on the streets at the tender age of five. How a street-smart young gang leader named Solo had been impressed with the tough toddler and took him under his wing, teaching him how to survive. How a deadly virus ran rampant through the colony, leaving Solo to die in a seven-year-old Duo's arms. How, in order to preserve Solo's memory, Duo had named himself, stating he'd be living for the two of them. Living at the church. The bombing. Stowing away on a space shuttle where he met Deathscythe for the first time. Doctor G finding him. Becoming a pilot.  
  
All this and more poured out of Duo, tears welling up in his eyes as he did so, grieving for the loss of everyone he'd ever known. Heero had been completely shocked. For all his problems, he would have expected someone of Duo's past to be a bitter, cold-hearted killer. Like himself. Instead, Duo had tried to embrace life, thinking that if he lived for all those who died, maybe, just maybe, there'd be someone out there for him, who would outlive what he called his Maxwell Curse.  
  
" Everyone who gets close to me dies," Heero heard Duo say once in an unusually sombre voice. " Ya get used to it."  
  
Now, staring across a blood-spattered warehouse, the coppery scent making it hard to breathe, bodies strewn about the floor - Heero couldn't move. All he could see was a mockery of the laughing, violet-eyed boy he knew and had come to rely on. No, this wasn't Duo - this was what Duo could have become after all his trials. This was the dark side of Duo's soul given free reign. This blood-soaked demon was Shinigami.  
  
The two stared each other down from across the room. Heero was vaguely aware that all the fighting had ceased in the background but at the moment, he couldn't care less. His entire awareness was focused on the killing machine in front of him. He cleared his throat and tried to speak, forcing his closed throat to open.  
  
" D-Duo?" he asked shakily.  
  
    
  
   
  
Shinigami roughly raked a forearm across his face, brushing the blood out of his eyes and the bangs of his hair. After knocking out the Chinese kid, he'd been prepared to deliver the finishing strike when a blow came from behind him, knocking him head over heels. Whoever had snuck up on him had to be good - with his heightened abilities, it took a lot to catch him off guard. He hit the ground, rolled and landed in a crouch, focusing his gaze on the one who had delivered the blow.  
  
He blinked.  
  
A thin, yet muscular boy stood there, fists clenched. It was obvious that HE was the on who had attacked. Shinigami took in the black spandex and the green tank top curiously - they didn't look like the spandex-y armour that most super-mutants seemed to wear. Curious. His eyes travelled upwards, taking in the firm jaw, the tousled brown locks of hair that flew in the boys face. There was something.... almost achingly familiar.  
  
A gust of wind blowing through the demolished wall of the warehouse blew the tangled strands of hair from the boys face, and in that instant, cobalt eyes locked on to violet.  
  
Shinigami froze, staring at the boy. He knew him.... he KNEW him. He blinked again, as the room started to distort slightly. A gruff laugh echoed in his ears and he shook his head, wondering if he was going crazy.  
  
//Baka...//  
  
" D-Duo?"  
  
They were the same! God help him, the voices were the same. Shinigami growled, trying to bring back his comfortable feeling of rage and death, his growl growing more and more pronounced as he failed to lose himself in the moment. His eyes narrowed hatefully. He may have known this person at one time.... but now he was the one making him remember, making him feel. For that...Shinigami snarled and leaped at the boy.  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero couldn't have moved even if he'd been ordered by J himself. His eyes focused on Shinigami, watching the small tremors course through the slim frame. Was he remembering? He licked his lips nervously - another emotion he'd never really understood before meeting the loud-mouthed American. So many emotions...and all of them making themselves known.  
  
A low sound began reverberating through the large room and Heero realized with a start it was coming from Shinigami.  
  
_He's growling_?  
  
Heero watched as the leather-clad boys emotions of rage, hate and something else, whirled across his face. _Could he be remembering_? His heart jumped into his throat at the thought, before crashing back down to his chest as violet, pain-filled eyes glared back at him.  
  
_Guess not_.  
  
Heero braced himself as Shinigami hurtled through the air at an amazing speed. Heero barely got his hands up in time to deflect the killing palm strike the boy had aimed for his nose. He locked arms with Shinigami, each boy jockeying for position. Heero noted absently that the boy had dropped his scythe prior to his leap across the room and wondered why. His attention was snapped back when Shinigami snarled again and twisted his whole body, propelling Heero up and over, crashing him into a pile of wood and plaster. Heero shook his head and blinked, body hurting from the hard throw. When did Duo get so powerful?  
  
" Duo!" he said forcefully, watching the boy stalk him like a jungle cat. " It's me! Heero!"  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero? That name ricocheted off his brain and stopped the prowling Shinigami in his tracks. Inside his mind, he could feel something fighting to break free. It hurt. A lot. With a roar that was half-pain and half rage, he threw himself at the boy, determined to make him stop.  
  
Where there had just moments ago been cold, hard logic, was now just an animalistic reaction - his thoughts deserted him as he reacted to the pain within his own mind. As he attacked, he was vaguely aware of a hint of approval coming from deep within himself - somehow he knew, enemy or not, this boy was the key to ending the pain, one way or another. Harpoon, Forearm, Sinister...they all faded to the back of his mind as the nagging doubts and half-formed memories he'd been feeling for the last few days began coming together in the face of the prussian-eyed boy. And with the revelations came pain - deep blinding pain that tore on him from the inside out. And he did what any other animal would do when in severe pain.  
  
He attacked.  
  
    
  
   
  
Wufei slowly came to his senses. He was aware of one slender, gloved hand reaching back and gripping his shoulder, helping to a sitting position. A tendril of red hair brushed past his face and he recognized it instantly.  
  
" R-Rogue?" he croaked. Her green eyes swam into his field of vision and slowly, the blurriness faded. " What-"  
  
Rogue pointed to a spot past his shoulder and with her help, he turned around enough to see what she was referring to.  
  
His jaw hit the ground.  
  
Heero and Duo were rolling across the ground, exchanging a flurry of blows that would have obliterated any other person foolish enough to get in their way. He watched, open-mouthed, as Duo slammed his fist towards Heero's face, only to have Heero move with amazing speed. Duo's fist struck the ground and cracked the cement with the force of his blow.  
  
" Merciful Nataku!" Wufei gasped as he instinctively curled his own fists. " How on EARTH did he do that?"  
  
Even as he spoke, the two combatants broke apart and came to their feet, chests heaving with exertion, blood streaming freely down torn bodies. Duo's eyes were alight with an unholy fire and for the first time, Wufei outwardly showed his fear of the American. Always a jester, Wufei may have mocked Duo's immature behaviour, but he had seen too much of Duo's anger and deadly effectiveness as an assassin during the battles of war to be stupid enough to NOT fear the reaper. Death was no joke. He swallowed, eyes glued to the scene before him.  
  
" So quick," he breathed. " So strong - how is this possible? Heero is the enhanced soldier. But Duo..."  
  
Wolverine crouched by him, his own gaze locked on the struggle. Gambit and Cyclops were watching the three Marauders. Cyclops had gone back to the Blackbird and pulled out three collars. Genoshan collars. Designed to dampen the mutant powers of any mutant wearing it. After fastening the collars to Harpoon, Forearm and Fatale, they had turned their attention to the battle taking place among the bodies of the fallen homeless.  
  
Cyclops stepped forward.  
  
" We need to stop this," he said grimly, and set his sights on Duo. Wufei, hearing him, reared up, faster then would have believed possible of a concussed boy, and placed himself in front of the X-Men leader.  
  
" No. "  
  
" Get out of the way," Cyclops ordered. His tone gentled slightly. " I'm not going to kill him."  
  
Wufei shrugged and held his ground. Cyclops was about to reach out and move him to one side when Wolverine's compact frame joined the lithe form of Wufei, preventing him from going around.  
  
" Wolverine?"  
  
" Let it play out Cyke," Wolverine growled. " All these people are already dead. Their souls are free."  
  
He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at the scene behind him.  
  
" There's a soul battling down there to get free. Let him try."  
  
Cyclops searched the feral man's eyes for a minute before grudgingly nodding. Remy came forward and stood next to Wolverine.  
  
" You know somet'in we don'?" he asked, eyes never leaving the struggle.  
  
Wolverine gave a curt nod, but didn't elaborate.  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero panted for breath, every muscle in his body screaming in agony. Across from him, Shinigami looked to be having as much trouble as he did. Heero couldn't understand why the boy didn't just use his scythe to finish the match and then chalked it up to the same reason he didn't just pull his gun, throwing it to the ground instead. This was different from all those times they had to use weapons.  
  
As they once did on the basketball court, they were fighting to prove themselves. Except the proving was being left up to Shinigami. Heero ferverently hoped that the devastating blows he was landing, would shake Duo back into Shinigami's mind.  
  
Shinigami growled softly under his breath. The pain was still there, but it was starting to fade as the battle peaked. He could feel it now, the explosion held back by a mental barrier, a barrier close to the breaking point. The battle was lowering his defences, making him react on a primal level. Something inside him was telling him that killing the boy who called himself Heero would be the easiest way to end the pain, but that same voice was the one that made him drop his scythe in the first place. A wave washed over him and he closed his eyes, grimacing.  
  
" So close," he muttered angrily. His eyes flew open and he shrieked. " COME ON!!"  
  
He spun out with a sharp kick, connecting to Heero's stomach with a satisfying thud. Instead of remaining doubled over, Heero reached down and grabbed Shinigami's other leg, sweeping him off his feet.  
  
Shinigami landed on his back, the air whooshing out of him at the impact. Heero didn't pause; he rained blow after blow into the boy's face and torso. His mind screamed at him for doing this to his Duo, but ultimately he knew the blows wouldn't permanently hurt him - for Duo to keep up with him this long, Heero could SMELL genetic enhancement. He should know. It had been done to him too.  
  
Shinigami caught his fist and pushed back, throwing Heero off of him. Heero clambered to his feet, wiping the blood out of his eyes as he watched his opponent warily.  
  
The wave was so close.... he could feel the sensations, the memories fluttering behind the wall that was crumbling. Shinigami tensed, the pain catching him off-guard, and Heero saw.  
  
" Fight it Duo!" he urged, taking a step towards him. " This isn't you! Fight it!"  
  
Shinigami heard his words and an agonized scream tore from his throat.  
  
    
  
   
  
Harpoon blinked as he slowly came to. He noticed muzzily that his hands were bound with chain and he felt a familiar tightness around his throat that made him come fully awake.  
  
A collar.  
  
Those damn X-bastards collared him.  
  
He moved slowly, trying not to bring any attention himself and he noticed that everyone's gaze was focused on Shinigami. He watched as the boy's hands flew to his head, the small form trembling with pain and confusion.  
  
Shit!  
  
_He's starting to remember_! Harpoon thought with a tinge of fear. If the kid remembered, then Sinister would be out one assassin. And he'd take it out on him and Forearm. Speaking of which... He peered out of the corner of his eye and saw Forearm out cold on the floor, Fatale next to him. Both wore collars.  
  
He raged inwardly, knowing that with the Genoshan collars on, there was no way to activate their powers and help the kid out. Shinigami was gonna remember, and then that would be it for the rest of them.  
  
Suddenly, something caught his eye. Black handle, shiny metal muzzle...Harpoon licked his lips as his eyes fastened on the gun so near and yet so far. He didn't know where the gun came from, but it didn't matter; he had one chance to help the kid. His hands were bound but in front of him.  
  
Good. That would make it easier.  
  
He moved.  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero watched Shinigami shake, hoping against hope that Duo was breaking free of Sinister's mental prison. Movement out of the corner of his eye registered but he never took his gaze off the boy.  
  
Until light glinted off metal.  
  
What the-- he whirled around in time to see Harpoon lunge across the floor and snag the gun from the floor - his gun, and aim it at him. The world slowed to a crawl as the gun's retort sounded.  
  
    
  
   
  
Shinigami clawed at his head as the barrier burst, and hsi mind was flooded with images. Some made sense, some didn't. He was still woefully confused but something clicked into place and he remembered.  
  
" H-Heero?"  
  
He looked up to see Heero spin around and focus on something. Shinigami's eyes tracked that cobalt gaze and watched with growing horror as Harpoon got his hands on a gun, lying on the ground.  
  
_NO_!  
  
With a speed surpassing anything he'd ever done before, Shinigami threw himself into Heero as the gun went off. Pain blossomed in his side as they hit the ground, rolling and suddenly Heero was there, peering down at him in disbelief.  
  
    
  
   
  
When the gun went off, Heero had froze, expecting to meet his death. he world moving in slow-motion, he inwardly laughed at the irony of dying by his own gun.  
  
Then something had crashed into him, knocking him out of the bullet's deadly path and he struck the ground, crying out automatically as his battered body struck unforgiving concrete. Whatever had barrelled into him was still there as he reached down. And froze again.  
  
His hands registered long strands of silky hair and he sat up abruptly. Duo! He rolled the unmoving figure over and stared in disbelief. The bullet had ripped a hole into Duo's side, and the boy's blood-crusted lashes fluttered before opening slightly  
  
" Duo?" Heero whispered in disbelief, hope radiating through him like a beacon. Shinigami reached up shakily with one hand.  
  
".H-Heero?" Duo's voice answered, looking up at him. "..'m sorry..."  
  
" It wasn't your fault," he ground out harshly. " Never was." He ripped off a section of his tank top and pressed against the hole in Duo's side. " Just hang on, okay?"  
  
Duo's eyes closed, and red-hued tears slipped from the corners of his eyes.  
  
"...so sorry..." his voice trailed off as he lost consciousness.  
  
" DUO!"  
  
    
  
   
  
Everything had happened so fast. The instant Harpoon had fired, Wolverine had thrown himself at the Indian, striking out with his claws and slicing the man's hand clean off. Harpoon's agonized howls were abruptly severed as Wolverine slammed his fist into the man's face, knocking him out. Rogue started towards the boys and Remy held her back.  
  
" We gotta take care of dese boys firs' chere," he said softly. " Let Logan handle dem." He nodded to where Heero was frantically trying to stop the blood.  
  
" But Duo needs HELP!"  
  
" Look at his eyes chere," Remy said and Rogue looked at Heero, seeing the deep concern and agony over his injured friend. She looked closer and saw the possessive way he tended to the wound, watching all of them out of the corner of his eyes, daring them to even TRY to make a move.  
  
Wolverine handed off Harpoon to Cyclops who tossed him onto Forearm. Remy and Rogue helped move all of them onto the Blackbird. Logan then turned and slowly moved towards Heero, arms out in front, hands open.  
  
" Easy kid," he murmured. " I'm gonna help, okay?"  
  
Heero's eyes narrowed, and he gripped Duo's prone form tightly. Wufei materialized at Wolverine's side.  
  
" Let us help," he said softly. " Unless you want Duo to die now?"  
  
Heero nodded and stepped back as Wolverine picked up the boy and headed towards the Blackbird. Wufei waited for Heero to gather himself, and he turned to give the boy his privacy.  
  
" Wufei?"  
  
The Shenlong pilot turned back.  
  
" Yes?"  
  
" Didn't need.... the last resort," Heero said finally. A faint smile ghosted on to his face and Wufei nodded.  
  
" I'm glad."  
  
He heard Heero sigh.  
  
" Me too."  
  
    
  
End Part 6D 


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Heart Of Darkness  
  
Part: 7A  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Warnings: Sap, angst - kinda light after the last part!  
  
Pairings: Standard Stormy. If you don't know, you haven't been reading, so you'll just have to take your chances. :P  
  
Archive: Yes please! Just ask me first if you're new, 'kay? I usually say yes.  
  
Is that it? Hmm..guess so! Read on! And let me know as always, whatcha think!  
  
   
  
   
  
1.1 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.1.1 Part 7A  
  
   
  
Sinister was furious. No, to say he was furious would have been labelled the understatement of the year. The red-eyed man fairly glowed with anger, his whole armoured body bristling with agitation.  
  
" They failed..." he growled softly, planting his hands onto a console and staring at the monitor above him. The screen reflected the scene inside the warehouse he himself had so painstakingly set up for his assault. The X-men were gathering up his men and placing them into their over-sized jet.  
  
" They failed...."  
  
" Master?" Threnody timidly ventured into the room, holding a stack of papers that had printed out during the course of the battle. " I brought you the--"  
  
WHAM! Sinister backhanded her into the wall. With a near inaudible cry, she slid down the side, a faint streak of blood trailing her to the floor. She sat there, half-slumped over, papers drifting down around her still form.  
  
" I have no time for such trivial matters," Sinister said coldly, turning back to the screen, ignoring the broken doll he'd left there. " The boy seems to have broken the control. Much like Morph did."  
  
Sinister didn't like the idea of two of his prisoners fighting back against his implant. Two out of thousands of course, but it was the principle of the thing. And it was three if you counted Remy Lebeau, but Lebeau was in a class all of his own, being unable to fall prey to any kind of mind- altering substances. Another mystery he'd left unsolved. With the boy, Shinigami - that made two. How did he break free?  
  
" More importantly, is how do I reclaim my prize before it is irretrievable?" he murmured, once-blue eyes, now black stared at the screen, trying to devour the images it presented. He watched as Shinigami was gently picked up by the wild man, Wolverine, and moved the protective covering of the Blackbird. Then a flash of green, and Sinister froze the screen.  
  
" You..." he breathed, eyes narrowing hatefully at the brown-haired boy, clad only in a green tank top and black shorts. Shinigami had been visibly startled at the appearance of the boy. Before his arrival, Shinigami had been performing at acceptable levels, doling out death as excitedly as a boy begging his parents for a coveted bauble. But then this...this BOY had shown up...and Shinigami had fought the implant.  
  
Sinister trailed one finger down the screen, tracing the outline of Heero's profile. His dark eyes had narrowed to mere slits, and his rage was almost palpable.  
  
" You will pay, young one.... I, Sinister, swear this.... and then I shall have both my revenge on the X-Men, and the information I seek." Sinister threw his head back and howled with insane laughter that shook the very air with its evil intensity.  
  
    
  
   
  
( 2 HOURS LATER)  
  
" So what was it you knew?"  
  
The question hung in the air innocently, casually asked, but subtly demanding an answer of the wolfishly-haired man smoking a cigarette on one of the mansion balconies. Remy leaned against the wall and eyed Logan appraisingly. The man took one last puff and then threw the butt into a metal trashcan the professor had seen fit to place at all of his and Remy's known smoking retreats, before returning the Cajun's level gaze.  
  
" 'Bout what?"  
  
" Back in de warehouse when Cyclops was about to zap dat kid. You stopped him."  
  
Logan grinned, flashing his teeth. " Ya know what curiosity did to the cat, dontcha?"  
  
Remy smiled. " Indulge me."  
  
Logan's smile disappeared and he scowled in place of it. " Remember Morph."  
  
" Yah."  
  
" Same thing. Morph fought against Sinister's implant when he was around any of the X-men - the closer he was, the more his memories fought to get free. Cyke shoulda remembered that."  
  
Remy blinked, realizing the truth in those words. " You saw--"  
  
" I saw Duo fighting himself just as much as he was fighting Heero," Wolverine finished. " He had to break free on his own, otherwise the implant would just keep its stranglehold on him. And it worked."  
  
" Yah," Remy said softly, thoughtfully. " But did it work in time?"  
  
    
  
   
  
If someone didn't make the dancing elephants in his head stop, someone was going to pay.  
  
" Who taught elephants how to conga anyway?" Quatre mumbled fuzzily as he slowly regained consciousness. " 'Bet it was Trowa...."  
  
" Huh?"  
  
Quatre's eyes opened completely at the puzzled voice and looked straight into Trowa's green-eyed gaze.  
  
" Trowa?"  
  
" I'm here," the boy said softly. " How's your head?"  
  
Quatre shook it slowly, nodding with a small smile as the noise in his head muted somewhat with the return of his faculties. Concentrating slightly, he stoutly ignored the brief flare-up of pain that action caused him, and extended his awareness. The influx of background minds seemed even damper then usual, and he thought he could sense a hint of Jean's interference.  
  
Just as he thought that, he got a vague mental chuckle from the redhead in question.  
  
:: I left the block up in your mind until you get your strength back to do it yourself :: came Jean's low voice.  
  
:: But why do I need a filter? :: Quatre sent back, confused. :: What happ- ::  
  
" DUO!" He exclaimed, eyes snapping open. Trowa reacted quickly, blocking Quatre's rise from the bed. He shook his head at the blonde.  
  
" Stay."  
  
" But Trowa! What happened? Is Duo all right? " Quatre asked him in a rush. Something fluttered at the edge of his mind, a memory of something disturbing. Trowa's brow creased in concern at the apparent loss of memory.  
  
" I wouldn't worry about it," commented a voice from the door. Jubilee snapped her gum as she entered the room. " Red sent me to tell you it's residual psi-shock. It'll come back." She grimaced lightly. " Though I don't know if that's a GOOD thing."  
  
Trowa nodded, frowning lightly. When Quatre had continued to show signs of shock after witnessing a - what had Jubilee called it? - Psychic death, Beast had administered a mild sedative that had knocked the Arabian out, and then transferred him to a room in the medical area. Speaking of which....  
  
" How's Duo? And Heero? And where's Wufei?"  
  
" Don't know, don't know, and fine," Jubilee said. " Since getting here, Beastie, Jean and Cyke have been locked up in the med room with Duo. Heero's still in there - refuses to come out." She began ticking numbers off her fingers. " Wufei's sleepin' off the Shi'ar medication stuff Hank gave him while on the Blackbird coming back - does wonders on concussions, lemme tell you - , Storm's in that garden thingie she's got happening in her room, Remy's poisoning his lungs with Wolvie on the balcony, Rogue's with the Prof, talkin' with one of our scientist friends on Muir island, and the three of us are sittin' here wondering, what everyone is up to."  
  
Quatre blinked. " Oh."  
  
" I'm going to check on Wufei, and see if I can get any more information on how Duo's doing," Trowa said abruptly, rising to his feet. Nodding curtly at Jubilee, he exited the room. Quatre looked mildly hurt. Catching the look, Jubilee decided to reassure him.  
  
" Relax Quatre - the guy hasn't left your side since we put you under," she told him sternly. " Even though he knew you would be fine, he still didn't take any chances. He was worried about ALL of you, but to him, you took priority. Now that you're awake and coherent, he doesn't feel bad about leaving you for a minute to check on everyone else."  
  
Quatre felt vaguely ashamed. " I see."  
  
" Dude, I didn't mean to bring you down," she sighed. " I just didn't want you to feel, ya know, abandoned."  
  
Quatre smiled at the Chinese girl. " I understand Jubilee. And thank you."  
  
Jubilee mock-groaned. " PLEASE don't thank me - I've got a rep to protect that'll be ruined beyond repair if word gets out I was bein' compassionate, or somethin'."  
  
Quatre laughed - genuinely this time. " I won't tell a soul."  
  
" Good!"  
  
    
  
   
  
Trowa eased the door to Wufei's room open. He hadn't seen anyone in the hallway, but Jubilee had kept tabs on everyone, and had let him know where Wufei had been put so he could check his partner's out later. The room was dimly lit and he could make out Wufei's still form on the bed. Gliding across the room, Trowa pulled up beside the bed, studying his team-mate critically. He noted the bandage on the temple, various band-aids covering smaller flesh wounds. It looked like Wufei would live after all.  
  
" Enjoying the view?" came a raspy voice from the bed.  
  
Trowa's eyes stopped their assessment and flew to the Shenlong pilot's face. Wufei's own eyes opened and met his with a faint touch of amusement. Trowa grinned slightly.  
  
" How do you feel?"  
  
" Like I've just spent several hours listening to Maxwell's rock and roll music at the highest possible volume," Wufei groaned, shutting his eyes. One hand crept up to his head, touching the bandage. " Ow." Opening his eyes again, he glanced at the brown-haired boy. " What is wrong?" A horrible thought struck him. " How is Duo?"  
  
" Don't know," Trowa shrugged. To any casual observer, the apparent lack of emotion would have seemed cold and cruel, but to Wufei's trained eyes, he saw faint tensing of muscles, and the bleak tone in which the words were delivered, and knew that pilot 03 was feeling very worried indeed. " They're still in surgery with him."  
  
" And Heero?"  
  
" With Duo."  
  
" Aaa," Wufei nodded. He would have expected no less. Then he blinked as something else occurred to him, and he glanced around the room once in puzzlement before turning back to Trowa. " Where's Quatre?"  
  
Trowa winced visibly. " In one of the other rooms down here."  
  
" He is injured?" Surprise colored Wufei's tone. " What happened?"  
  
Trowa filled the Chinese boy in on what happened. Wufei closed his eyes in shared sympathy at the description of Duo slashing the innocent boy's throat, with Quatre and the other two psi's still connected.  
  
" Quatre felt the boy die?"  
  
" Aaa. They were connected through Quatre's link to Duo. The boy possessed Duo and when his body died, his mind died."  
  
" On the psychic plane," Wufei nodded in understanding. " So he didn't just feel the boy dying, he felt his fear, his pain-"  
  
" -His innocence," Trowa finished. " It hit Quatre....hard."  
  
" I'll bet," Wufei muttered. Then his eyebrows shot up. " And you left him alone?""  
  
" Jubilee is with him."  
  
Trowa smothered a chuckle as Wufei's face paled comically. Something about the Chinese girl seemed to rattle the Shenlong pilot. He made a mental note to ask him why, when everyone was feeling better. " I'm going to go and see if I can get any information on Duo's condition," he said, smoothly changing the subject. Wufei nodded - having been separated from their erstwhile teammate for so long, it seemed inconceivable that he was back among them. Wufei had the feeling that until they had tangible proof that Maxwell was safe, they would continue to doubt his presence.  
  
Wufei watched as Trowa gave a small wave, nodding his head in return. Then Trowa left, softly clicking the latch in place. Wufei yawned, feeling the tiredness still in his limbs but unable to sleep. His mind replayed over and over the final few minutes of combat between Heero and Duo - the sheer viciousness of their fight made even more so by the fact that they were actually friends. Wufei shuddered. He was just glad it was not him that had to be the one to battle Duo. Then again...he thought of the way one of Duo's blows had shattered the concrete yet left no evidence of damage on his fist.  
  
_He would have killed me without breaking a sweat_, he realized to himself. That thought disturbed him greatly, and he shivered, pulling the thick blanket on the bed up to his neck. Curling up to the pillow, he stared at the wall, seeing Shinigami in his mind.  
  
    
  
End Part 7A  
  
Well?? *taps foot impatiently* Whatcha think??  
  
  
  
Notes: Since they're about 15/16 yrs old in the series, I'm making them 16 in my fic. Don't yell at me about irregularities - I'm tired, my head hurts, and I'll take critism about ages as flames and have to start ranting at you, so let's leave it alone. *grins* You have been warned.  
  
Here we go again!  
  
   
  
   
  
1.2 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.2.1 Part 7B  
  
   
  
Hank McCoy was tired. It was the kind of dragging, lingering tiredness that gripped one's limbs and made them feel as though thousand-pound weights had been attached when his back was turned. Images of his nice, soft, four- poster, antique - although steel-reinforced - bed flooded his fatigued mind, but he resolutely pushed the pictures aside - he was a doctor, and right now, he was on call.  
  
" There is, as they say, no rest for the weary," he sighed, one blue-furred hand reaching up to remove his glasses and tiredly rubbing his eyes. Indeed - it seemed as though fate or some higher power then mere mortal man had decided that today would be the day that, to paraphrase his good friend Wolverine, 'the shit hit the fan'. His nerves had already been worn on the day before with his colleague Cecilia being injured - and now the boy responsible for the act itself lay in the room before him, gravely injured.  
  
To be fair, Hank harbored no malice whatsoever towards the braided boy for what had befallen the Latino woman - Duo Maxwell was the victim of a vicious ploy, hatched by an insane madman. It was not his fault.  
  
Still - he kept seeing an image of Cecelia Reese collapsing to the ground, blood streaming from an open head wound. That image would forever be super- imposed in his mind, imprinted by a scene from a two-inch by three-inch personal communicator.  
  
" Such heavy thoughts Hank," came a soft, chiding voice from the doorway. Hank looked up, slightly perturbed that his keen senses had not registered the presence of the voice's owner before they had spoken. Jean nodded at him.  
  
" I masked my approach," Jean said, giving the Beast a warm smile as she neared him. She took a moment to observe her teammate, sensing his all encompassing tiredness. " I apologize for intruding on your thoughts Hank, but to be honest - I was getting a little worried by the self-doubt I'm reading from you."  
  
" No need to apologize dear lady," Henry returned her friendly look, before letting his mask fall slightly. " And what you are sensing is nothing more then some residual emotions from earlier."  
  
" When Cecelia was here?" Jean asked gently. Hank nodded and let out a small chuckle.  
  
" A note to myself, that it is extremely difficult to keep anything from a telepath."  
  
" It's all right to feel anger Hank."  
  
" I know that," he chided the redhead gently. " I also know that it is ridiculous for me to feel anger towards a young boy for doing something over which he had no control, and no way to stop himself from..." he stopped, a pained expression coming over his face.  
  
" From hurting Cecelia," Jean finished for him. " I understand Hank - and I'm sure Cecelia would agree that it wasn't Duo's fault."  
  
" I know she would," Hank agreed. He sighed, rubbing the side of his head as though trying to massage away some sudden pain that had manifested. " She's a very forgiving lady." Then his head slumped forward. " When I saw her collapse...Jean, I.... I thought..."  
  
Jean understood what Henry had wanted to say, even without the use of her telepathy, and she came forward, wrapping her arms around her old friend in support. Hank and Cecelia had expressed a hesitant interest in each other, once upon a time, when Cecelia had still been living in the X-mansion. But there had been too much going on then, too many battles to fight, and Cecelia still hadn't completely come to terms over the revelation that she herself was a mutant. They had gone their separate ways - Hank staying on as a valued member of the X-Men, and Cecelia trying to go back to some sort of normalcy. Since her being discovered as a mutant had been so public, it had resulted in her losing her job at the local hospital. But thanks to some private funding by Professor Xavier, the fiery Latino had set up her own practice in Salem, close to the mansion, and keeping in touch with her former team-mates. She and Beast remained good friends. Hank had never wanted to damage that part of his life with her and had decided to keep his fledgling feelings to himself for the time being. Seeing Cecelia lying on the ground in a pool of her own blood, gasping for his help and then not being able to do a thing about it...  
  
Hank returned the embrace firmly before releasing Jean. He grinned at her, a trace of his old self back in his toothy smile.  
  
" Thank you Jean."  
  
Jean hushed him thoroughly. " No thanks needed Hank," she said, patting his arm. " That's what friends are for. " She bit her lip, studying him thoughtfully. "Do you feel any better?"  
  
" Indeed I do," Hank said genuinely. Knowing that Jean knew how he felt, and understood his emotions and reason for feeling that way, gave him a sort of release from the guilt he'd been harbouring about feeling angry towards an innocent. Feeling much more clear-headed, he replaced his spectacles on the bridge of his nose.  
  
" Good." Almost as an afterthought, Jean added, " Come on in, Trowa."  
  
A blushing Trowa slowly entered the room. Sensing the apology in his mind, and half-formed on his lips, Jean hastened to reassure the boy that he was not intruding.  
  
" Welcome Trowa," she greeted him with the same warmth that she had used towards Henry.  
  
"..." Trowa looked a little lost. Hank waved jovially at him.  
  
" Hello dear boy - how might we be able to assist you?" The doctor leaned forward confidentially and mock-whispered, " Just mind the red-head - she's notorious for causing trouble."  
  
" Hank!" Jean protested playfully and punched him lightly in the arm. Seeing them play brought a sense of familiarity to Trowa, reminded of happier times when he and his team-mates acted in such a manner, and he finally smiled at the two of them. The tension dispersed, Hank nodded slightly.  
  
" I assume you're hear for an update?"  
  
Trowa nodded in return. " Status report?" As an afterthought, he added, " Please?"  
  
Hank reached up and gripped the ceiling pipes. Swinging his legs upwards, his feet hooked into the rafters and he let his upper body sway gracefully towards the floor. His arms folded and he reached over for a sheaf of papers on a nearby counter, turning them so that while they made perfect sense to him, to anyone else watching, it looked as though he were reading upside down. Which he was. Trowa's eyes widened at the sight of the hulking blue man dangling upside down from the ceiling, reading medical stats. Jean smothered a chuckle, recognizing Henry's classic 'gesticulating' pose.  
  
" He does his best thinking when all the blood rushes to his brain," she whispered to Trowa who couldn't take his eyes off the man. Trowa nodded slowly, apparently accepting the explanation.  
  
" I heard that you know," Hank commented mildly. He adjusted his glasses - Trowa marvelled at how they seemed to defy gravity - and began reading excerpts from the papers aloud.  
  
" For starters, your friend Quatre is fine, absolutely one hundred percent in the peak of physical condition."  
  
" And the mental?" Trowa asked with a hint of concern still left over from the disturbing scene he'd witnessed earlier.  
  
" Did he seem disturbed to you when you talked to him earlier?" Hank returned. Trowa shook his head - negative. " Well, there you go. I ran a few tests on him, and other then residual psi-shock, he's fine. The shock will go away - and Jean will talk to him about what he experienced, once he's regained his mental strength."  
  
Trowa looked to Jean for confirmation. The redhead nodded solemnly at him, projecting her assent into his mind.  
  
:: The filter is still in place for now, Trowa. I won't remove it until I talk to him and help him deal with what happened ::  
  
Trowa thanked her with his eyes, satisfied.  
  
" The Professor is upstairs talking with one of our friends - the confrontation coupled with all of his searching did a number on his mental reserves, so it's back to the conventional video-phone with him for a while." Beast shuffled his papers. " He'll be fine though."  
  
" Wufei is also going to recover completely - I originally feared he had a concussion, but it turns out that aside from that bump on his head, and some other bumps and scrapes, he's uninjured. He'll just be a little stiff for the next few days."  
  
Trowa hid a smirk at the thought of a bed-ridden Wufei - nah, he couldn't see it. The Chinese pilot was too strong, too proud to let such an insignificant injury keep him from his daily exercises, and morning rituals.  
  
" Rogue, Gambit and Cyclops suffered no lasting injuries other then the usual assortment of cuts and scrapes. Wolverine's costume was blasted to high heaven but thanks to his healing factor, he's already back to his old habits."  
  
" Habits?"  
  
" I believe he's with Gambit on the balcony right now with Gambit, indulging in one of them," Hank sighed. " I thank my lucky stars and garters that the Professor declared the entire interior of the mansion to be smoke-free."  
  
Trowa again suppressed a smile at the thankful look on Henry's face. Then he straightened, waiting for the axe to fall. Henry noticed and he too, lost the joking expression.  
  
" Heero will be fine. I did a preliminary examination of the lad and he's healing remarkably quickly. He has told me of his enhanced abilities - not how he acquired them of course, but if mutants do not exist in your world, it only stands to believe that his DNA has been tampered with. While whoever did it should be drawn and quartered for performing such acts on a child-" Hank's lips pulled back in a soundless snarl, "-it has indeed served him in good stead. Thanks to Sinister's manipulations on your comrade Duo, I have no doubt that had it not been for that DNA tampering, Heero would be dead."  
  
Trowa swallowed, feeling a strange tightness coiling in his stomach at the picture the doctor's words painted. " Where is he?"  
  
" With Duo, where he's been since they arrived." Hank shook his head. " I didn't have the time to fight with him over his presence in there, but it was a new feeling indeed to have a sixteen year old boy in an operating room watching your every move, one who seemed totally unfazed by the blood, and the cutting I had to do to reach the bullet, and the stitching up afterwards."  
  
" I guess after setting your own leg, routine surgery is kind of tame," Trowa offered awkwardly. Hank eyed him nervously.  
  
" Please tell me you're joking."  
  
" He's not," Jean answered, noticing the look of relief in Trowa's eyes as she deflected the doctor's questions. " I have a feeling they've done this before anyways - after all, they are fighting in a war, in their own dimension."  
  
" I...suppose," Hank said. Trowa looked up at him, eyes dead serious.  
  
" And Duo?"  
  
Hank let out an explosive sigh this time, placing the papers back down on the counter. From his dangled position, he could look Trowa directly in the eye.  
  
" Physically, Duo will recover. He was in the best shape I'd wager he's ever been in when he took that bullet. All that battling he did, as I understand, inflicted only minor wounds to him. The bullet was the most severe, and that entered his right side. It tore a large hole, but ultimately a clean one - it missed all of his vital organs. The most danger he was in was from shock and blood loss - and I replaced that as soon as he arrived here, setting him up with an IV. I was hesitant to use our blood - different dimensions and all that - but fortunately, Heero is a compatible match."  
  
_Maybe in more ways then one_. Trowa noticed his evasion of the 'shock' part. " And the rest?"  
  
" Well, the body is one thing - the mind is another." Beast folded his arms again. " I want to wait until he's recovered some of his strength before I attempt to remove the bug that Sinister implanted in his mind. From what I've seen, that shouldn't take too long."  
  
Trowa quirked an eyebrow.  
  
" Apparently Sinister did to your friend what had been done to Heero - the bug in his mind not only made him loyal to Sinister, it also heightened his abilities, increasing his agility, his stamina, his speed and his strength."  
  
" How do you know for sure?" Trowa asked, somewhat puzzled by the doctor's deductions.  
  
" When you all first arrived here in such a state of shock, I ran some tests on you to learn a bit about you before I started with the dispensing of various medications and such. Shi'ar technology is such a wonderful thing." Hank smiled dreamily at the images of all his pretty mechanical toys, just waiting to discover new, prize-winning discoveries. He shook his head, returning to the business at hand. " Anyway, I recorded all that I learned, and I compared the latest result's from Duo's testing to the originals of you four and there were some significant changes."  
  
" Such as?" Jean asked curiously.  
  
" For one thing, his lung capacity has expanded, allowing for a greater intake of air at each breath, increasing one's stamina. His bones are lighter, the muscles longer and more elastic then normal - this would explain any increase in speed and flexibility."  
  
" I thought the bug was simply a method of mind-control, Hank," Jean protested. " That's what it did to Morph, after all."  
  
" Indeed - but it also gave Morph increased control over his shape-shifting abilities. He went from being able to only to change appearance, to being able to alter his scent, and DNA enough to fool even Wolverine's senses. Remember what Wolverine said when he chased after him when Morph left?"  
  
" He said it took him a while to register Morph's scent, even when Morph had been in the bar with him," Jean said slowly. " He'd never been able to block Wolverine before - scent or no scent - Wolverine was his best friend. They were too close as friends to be able to hide from each other."  
  
" And yet he could," Beast nodded. " What I'm seeing here with Duo confirms it - that bug, if left implanted for any length of time, not only changes a person's mind, but their DNA as well."  
  
" So Duo's like Heero," Trowa noted. His brow furrowed. " But is he Duo?"  
  
Hank understood the somewhat convoluted question.  
  
" That, we won't know for certain until the boys awakens. But from what I understand, he beat the bug, if even only temporarily, when he pushed Heero out of that bullet's path. That speaks volumes for Duo's strength of mind and determination of will."  
  
" If that bug is beaten by mind power, Duo's going to be fine," Trowa said calmly. Inwardly, his mind reeled at the information being shot at him, and he closed his eyes for a minute, letting it all sink in. Duo was in for a rough time of it, he could tell. Not for the first time, he thanked the powers that be that it wasn't Quatre going through all of this. Then he immediately felt guilt towards feeling that way.  
  
:: Stop it Trowa :: Jean's 'voice' told him sternly. :: I just went through something similar with Hank. It's natural for you to be thankful it wasn't Trowa - that doesn't mean you're GLAD it happened to Duo, right? ::  
  
:: No :: Trowa sent back vehemently.  
  
:: I rest my case :: Jean said, somewhat smugly.  
  
Trowa blinked at her, apparently accepting her logic. Then something else occurred to him.  
  
" Who's the Professor talking too?" he asked curiously. What could be so important that the man was actually foregoing rest and recuperation for conversation? While it could be innocent, Trowa couldn't help but feel that familiar sense of paranoia creeping up around him again - was this person trustworthy? Would the Professor mention his...unusual, guests? The urge to stake out a computer and do background checks came up and hit him with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer between the eyes. Jean chuckled at the mental image and sent a rush of calming, soothing words. Trowa relaxed slightly.  
  
" He's speaking to a colleague of ours - Moira McTaggart," Beast explained. " She's one of the Professor's oldest and dearest friends - and a brilliant scientist."  
  
That was not comforting to Trowa, who knew first hand, what 'brilliant' scientists were capable of.  
  
" Moira is completely trustworthy," Jean said resolutely. " And she's the only one with the backup information on the dimensional warp hole Beast had been studying - all the equipment that had been stolen from us."  
  
" She has the same stuff?" Trowa's eyes grew even larger then before.  
  
" Not quite, " Beast said somewhat mournfully. " What she has, is every note, test result and drop of information that I had about the matter container, and the experiment's I had been conducting with it."  
  
" Is that safe?"  
  
" It's a actually a standard procedure for us," Jean informed him. " And it's justified - if we hadn't begun our practise of making backup copies of everything we do and sending it to Muir Island, we wouldn't have anything to work with, and you'd be stuck in our world for the rest of your lives."  
  
" Miss McTaggart has her own experiments and problems that she spends her time on - but she does the same thing. I have, in our safe, the copies of everything she's done." Beast grinned. " It's a safeguard for when things like Sinister showing up and robbing us happen."  
  
" I guess," Trowa conceded. " Where's Muir Island?"  
  
" Across the Atlantic," Jean supplied. Trowa blinked.  
  
" Yeah, I guess that would be enough distance between the two facilities to minimize joint threats," he mused, reverting into tactical ops mode. Jean and Hank exchanged concerned looks, and Jean just sighed. From her talks with this somewhat reticent young man, and Quatre, she knew what they both had gone through - it didn't seem unusual for Trowa to think about things like placement and attack procedures, if you ignored the fact that the person in question was a sixteen year old.  
  
Trowa nodded, as though coming to a decision within himself, and then looked up.  
  
" May I see Duo and Heero." Politely worded, nevertheless it was more of a statement then a request. Hank nodded, pointing towards a door that was halfway open, across from his laboratory.  
  
Trowa walked the length of the room, pulling away from the two observers. Stepping up to the door, he slowly and silently peeked around the edge.  
  
The room was dimly lit, the faint light casting its shadows around the room. Trowa's eyes immediately picked out Duo, lying prone and motionless on the bed.  
  
The American was deathly still, so still that for a moment, Trowa forgot the reassuring words of the doctor and had to force himself to breathe. _He's alive, you idiot_, he told himself sternly. No. Even as Trowa's eyes roved over the sheet-covered form, picking out the IV lines from the tangle of wires and monitors, he knew it wasn't Duo's physical health he had to be concerned about. Briefly, he wondered what would happen if Duo never regained his own personality, or worse - if he was permanently warped from his experiences. Trowa couldn't remember a time when the braided one wasn't doing his best to lighten a tense situation, and he shuddered at the thought of Duo turning into a shell of his former self.  
  
Or worse - turning into someone like HIM.  
  
Trowa forced that thought back into the corners of his mind, and firmly locked it in place. No sense in making problems now - they'd have plenty of real ones when Duo woke up.  
  
His eyes then noted the still form next to the bed. Heero Yuy sat in the reclining chair, half slumped over, head tilted downward on his chest, arms folded. His whole body had shifted to face the doorway - even while sleeping, Heero was watching out for his partner. Staring at the protectiveness of that stance, Trowa wondered what was going through Heero's mind. Was it concern for a friend? Worry about a partner? Did Heero blame himself for not watching Duo's back? After all, they had been the ones taking out the lab that had eventually started all of this - and it would be just like the Perfect Soldier to blame himself. Trowa snorted - he knew he would. Was that what made the Japanese pilot scowl in his sleep so? Or was it something else entirely?  
  
Only Heero knew that answer, Trowa decided finally. Part of him wondered why Heero hadn't yet sensed his presence. He should have been waving a gun in his face by now, threatening to kill him or something.  
  
:: I put him to sleep :: Jean said, somewhat apologetically. :: He had been awake since early this morning - and he hasn't really slept since you've arrived here and Duo was found to be missing. He was asleep on his feet - he just didn't know it ::  
  
:: And here I thought he was losing his touch :: Trowa sent back in a rare moment of levity. He felt Jean laughing mentally and he smiled. Backing away from the door, he turned and faced the two across the room. Walking by, he paused, turned and bowed lightly.  
  
" Thank you," was all he said, before leaving the room. Henry's eyes met Jean's and he sighed once again.  
  
" Children," he mumbled sadly. " Remarkable."  
  
    
  
End Part 7B  
  
  
  
1.2.2 Part 7C  
  
   
  
Heero watched impassively as Hank went through what had become a morning ritual. Check the machines that monitored the boy throughout the night. Check the silent boys vital statistics. Adjust the intravenous feed into the slender wrist, test the reflexes. Throughout the entire procedure, Heero's eyes never left the sight of Duo's morning check up. Soon enough, it would be his turn, and Hank would turn those concerned eyes and prodding thermometers and needles his way.  
  
It had been three days since the huge battle/slaughter fest back at the warehouse. Three days in which Duo had remained unconscious, and completely unresponsive. When he voiced his concern, Heero was told by Hank and Jean that it wasn't unusual for a victim of mind-control to be so unresponsive. Duo was in a coma-like state that would only help him at this point - he needed the down time to allow the rest of his body to heal the physical wounds.  
  
Heero winced - at the time when he was trying to beat some sense back into Shinigami, he hadn't realized just how hard he was hitting.  
  
During sparring matches or even hand-to-hand combat against OZ soldiers, Heero had a very tight reign of control on his body. Doctor J had trained him well, and his genetic enhancement meant controlling his power at all time, else he would accidentally knock someone's shoulder out of joint if he tried to casually slap someone on the back. During the fight, Heero had somehow sensed something different about Duo, had felt the raw power radiating from the blood-drenched figure, and let loose.  
  
Three broken ribs, two cracked, three broken fingers, lacerations all over his arms and face. The baka hadn't felt a thing though, and had kept fighting like a wild animal.  
  
Heero flexed his own muscles gingerly - Duo had given as good as he'd been dealt. Lucky for him, another perk from the Doc's happy house of horrors had been extraordinary recuperative abilities. He was almost fully healed from the encounter, a fact that Hank found fascinating.  
  
Especially since Duo was exhibiting the same ability.  
  
_What did they do to you?_, he wondered silently, staring at the still form.  
  
:: We're going to find out, today ::  
  
Heero looked up as Jean entered the room, Hank and the Professor right behind her.  
  
    
  
   
  
Jean watched Heero's eyes snap up to meet hers, mentally chilled at the emotionless sight of those blue ice chips drilling into her. Then Heero relaxed somewhat, recognition seeping back into his expression. His fists unclenched, and she felt his protective level drop a notch. But only a notch. The sense of protectiveness she was registering warmed what the hard gaze had frozen. He was worried about his best friend - it was understandable.  
  
Jean had been in the worrying business a long time. Well-used to the tension of wondering whether a loved one was going to pull through, she hoped that by the end of today's little session, they'd have an idea as to what had been done to the American pilot.  
  
With the help of the Professor, she was going to enter Duo's mind, and bring him back.  
  
" Why can't you do it now?" she remembered Heero demanding, nearly the minute Duo had been stabilized.  
  
" Because he's still hurt. Badly."  
  
A trip into one's mind was dangerous enough when the person was conscious and healthy. In the mind, one was capable of defending themselves and their thoughts with anything they could think of, and a blow felt on the psychic plane was just as painful as a physical one. There was also the added danger of Jean having to dig past Duo's defences and past the implant Sinister had implanted.  
  
Jean recalled the horror and nausea she'd felt when the x-rays of Duo's skull had come back, and they had seen the little blip on Duo's frontal lobe that was so eerily similar to the one that had appeared on Morph's x- rays. The thought of someone so young having to go through so much pain weighed heavily on her mind and she sighed as she reminded herself that these young pilots were no strangers to pain. That was good because what she was about to do was going to hurt like hell.  
  
Heero watched her sit down on the bed, stroking her hand gently across Duo's face, brushing the long bangs out of the way. The look on her face was almost maternal and it reassured Heero, seeing how much she cared. He knew she wouldn't hurt Duo. He relaxed a bit more.  
  
Hank looked at the professor.  
  
" He's healing very well - I'd wager he's got only a fraction of say, Wolverine's healing factor, to give it a comparison, but that little bit has been more then enough to stabilize him enough to attempt a mind jaunt."  
  
His flippant tone did nothing to mask the underlying note of concern. The Professor nodded slightly, well aware of the dangers of the mind.  
  
" Jean is more then capable. I will act as a link, should she run into any danger."  
  
Hank and Jean both nodded - it was standard procedure to have a 'back-up psi' on hand to sever a link in case of trouble. Heero frowned.  
  
" What do you mean danger?"  
  
" Duo may or may not be the Duo you know," Jean said softly, meeting his eyes evenly, not holding back anything. " He could still be Shinigami - the boy you fought in the warehouse."  
  
Heero scowled and crossed his arms but said nothing, knowing of the truth in her words. She may be right. That didn't mean he had to like it.  
  
    
  
   
  
Trowa, Quatre, Wufei and Jubilee sat in the large, spacious kitchen, making idle conversation. The past three days had been so tense, what with their concern over their team-mate. Quatre, having been fine since waking up, felt it clearly, and was thankful for Trowa's solid belief that everything would turn out. Wufei had been up on his feet two days ago, declaring he felt fine, and when told he should go back to bed, his single response had been, " Give your concern to the one who needs it most right now. I assure you, that it isn't me."  
  
Quatre reflected that Jubilee had probably been the saviour of their sanity during those three days. Well-used to battles and their after-maths, she had spent most of her time reassuring the pilots that their friend was in the best hands he could be in. The rest of her time was spent flirting with Wufei who had, she noticed delightedly, the interesting ability to turn various shades of red whenever she teased him.  
  
Quatre watched Jubilee try to feed Wufei an orange slice and smiled at the Chinese pilot's attempts to fend her off. Then the smile turned a tad melancholy and he stifled a sigh, noting once again, the non-presence of two of their members. Trowa sensed his mood change and cast a curious glance his way.  
  
" Okay?"  
  
" Hai." Quatre smiled tiredly. " Just worried."  
  
" We all are," Trowa said. " But it will be fine in the end."  
  
" Yeah," said Jubilee, pausing in her attempts to cram fruit down Wufei's throat. " Hank is like, a super-genius doctor, and Jean is the second most powerful telepath in the world, next to the Prof."  
  
" I wish I had your confidence," Quatre told the girl. " But I'm afraid we've seen too much disappointment to get our hopes up just yet."  
  
" It's gonna be fine!" the girl insisted. " Geez, you guys are SO untrusting."  
  
" It's part of training," Quatre admitted wryly.  
  
" Besides," Wufei challenged her, suddenly tired of her countless reassurances. What could she possibly know of their fear? Their pain? She said she'd been in fights before, but how could she know what it felt to look death straight in the face, every single day? " You know nothing of what we've seen." He hissed this out, and watched Jubilee's eyes widen in shock, the forgotten orange slice hitting the ground with a faint smack.  
  
Quatre closed his eyes. He could feel Wufei's tension that had been building for some time - the presence of Jubilee had seemed to grate on his nerves ever since they'd arrived for some unknown reason. Her casual remarks of hope must have fanned the flames that had been simmering. Still, there was no reason to be rude, and Quatre opened his eyes and his mouth, intending to say something.  
  
His words caught in his throat at the look of pure unadulterated fury on the girl's face.  
  
" You selfish asshole!" Jubilee shouted at the shocked Wufei. " What is your problem? I'm trying to be friendly here, and you've done nothing but snipe at me since you've arrived! Excuse me for living, Chang Wufei, but you're not the only one dealing with issues here!"  
  
She stood up, slamming her fists into the table, making the rest of them jump slightly.  
  
" I don't know what you've seen, huh? Well, Chang - have you ever seen one of your friend's assimilated in front of you by some inhuman creature? [1] It's worse then watching them die - at least if dead, they're at peace! I've seen people turned against each other by mind-control! I've seen my best friend in the world have his skeleton ripped from the inside-out while still alive! [2]" She leaned right up to Wufei, sticking her nose right into his. " At our school there are two little boys that can't leave the building without using hologram technology to disguise the fact that they have green and pink skin 'cause even though they're children, they'd be hunted down! [3] Hunted down! I have been kidnapped, attacked and abused by numerous bad guys who seem to enjoy causing pain even though their actions once resulted in the construction of Sentinels - who's sole purpose is to wipe us out! And why?" she snarled. " Because we're not considered human! We're mutants - we don't have the right to live, the right to breathe the same air as humans! But even though we're spit on, we have to defend these bigots from our kind because its the right thing to do! You say I know nothing of your pain, but if you'd open your damn eyes you'd see we have more in common then you think!"  
  
Having exhausted her temper for the moment, Jubilee thumped back into her seat, still glaring at the shell-shocked boys. Wufei was still frozen in place. Jubilee blew out an explosive sigh, and ran her fingers through her hair, pushing her sunglasses back further and steepled her fingers under her chin.  
  
" Aw damn...what am I doing?" She shook her head. " Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump on you - I know you're worried about yer friend and all..."  
  
Her voice trailed off, and she looked away shame-facedly. Since they had arrived she'd been flirting, teasing and generally making light of what was a bad situation. Obviously they weren't used to this kind of hassle - they didn't know of mutants and powers and the sickening displays of bigotry they were forced to take each and every day. She pushed herself up.  
  
" I'm sorry," she gasped and turned, bolting out of the kitchen as though the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.  
  
Quatre raised a hand as she went. " Jubilee!" He turned to glare at Wufei who continued to blink, jaw gaping. " Wufei - that was uncalled for!" He snapped angrily. Trowa sat silently, eyes boring into the Chinese pilot who suddenly shook his head. " Wufei?"  
  
Wufei's head bowed for a moment, and when he looked up, Quatre was surprised to see a small smile on the pilot's face. " What are you smiling at?"  
  
" Just like Meiran," mused the Shenlong pilot. He stood up, nodding at the couple remaining. " Please excuse me - I believe I have an apology to make."  
  
Quatre watched, astonished as Wufei did an about-face and walked off in the direction Jubilee had gone. He turned to Trowa, jaw hanging open. " Did you see that?"  
  
" Uh-huh." Never one to waste an opportunity, Trowa took advantage of Quatre's open mouth and kissed him. Quatre eye's widened. Trowa shrugged. " It was tempting me."  
  
Quatre mock-glared at him. " What about those two? Shouldn't we go after them? They might kill each other or something!"  
  
" Wufei can handle it himself." Trowa got a very predatory look on his face as he began commencing on the small blonde. " You worried me, you know."  
  
" Um.... sorry?" Quatre offered, before wrapping his arms around the Heavyarms pilot. But as he re-acquainted himself with his mate, his thoughts turned back to their original worry. _I wonder how Duo's doing?_  
  
    
  
   
  
Remy smothered a chuckle at the adorable sight in the kitchen and decided to get something to eat later. By-passing the kitchen, he instead went straight to the elevator and selected the sub-basement level. When the metal doors opened, he went down the corridor, and turned right at the intersection. Left would take him to Cerebro. Right would take him to...  
  
" Hey Rogue!" He grinned. She looked up from the computer screen and smiled back.  
  
" Remy! " Her brow creased as she eyed his empty hands. " I thought you were getting something to eat?"  
  
" Didn't wan' to interrupt - Trowa and Quatre were a having a moment together."  
  
Rogue grinned rakishly. " I love moments." She sighed, glancing back at the data flying across the screen. " But I don't have time for one."  
  
" D'at be unfortunate Cherie," Gambit drawled lazily before pulling up a chair. " So what's up?"  
  
" Nearly finished downloading everything Moira had on Beast's matter converter and all the notes and whatnot he sent her on his experiments. She's really interested in what's been happening - she's thinking about flying down to give Hank and the Professor a hand."  
  
" Not like we couldn't use de help, eh girl?" Gambit tilted the screen slightly so he could see what progress had been made. He whistled at the numbers and science jargon assaulting his eyes. " An' here I t'ought I knew somet'in' 'bout science - dis be way over Gambit's head."  
  
" Yeah right," Rogue shot a look at him. Remy could probably follow along almost any technical conversation Hank could choose to have - it was Remy's choice to downplay his own intelligence. _You can take the rat off the street but you can't take the street out of the rat_, she thought fondly. " M'almost done swamp rat."  
  
" Always wit' de names," Gambit grumbled. He stood up, stretching slowly. Rogue stole an appreciative glance out of the corner of her eye. Gambit noticed and winked exaggeratedly. She laughed.  
  
" Git Cajun! Go check on what the other's are up too! You're distractin' me!"  
  
Remy laughed and nodded, disappearing out the door. But instead of going to the infirmary, he made a detour into one of Beast's labs, seating himself at the computer and pulling up his email account. He groaned at the amount of mail that had come in, in the few days he hadn't checked it. The icon blinked at him, signalling a new message and he clicked on it.  
  
Remy:  
  
Where you been boy? I've been sending message after message - what's going on? We know ya had to leave town quick - X-men work, right? - but the Guild is still waiting for an answer. Get back to me, 'kay?  
  
Pierre  
  
Remy swore tiredly, and rubbed his arm across his face. It was hard to believe that only only a week or so had passed since he'd left New Orleans and had been thrown into this nightmare involving Sinister. He found himself becoming somewhat protective of the pilot's - warriors in their own right, especially the still unconscious Duo. He knew, better then anyone, what it felt like to be under the control of that madman. He vowed to be there when Duo woke up and came to his senses - he'd be damned if he let another child fall prey to that psycho's mind trap.  
  
He scowled at the message on the screen. He didn't need this crap right now.  
  
_But you ain't got no choice, boyo_, he told himself sternly. Clicking on reply, he typed his response.  
  
Pierre:  
  
Relax, mon frere - I know. We got some problems here I got to take care of. Let me handle this first. I'll be in touch.  
  
Remy  
  
Short, and to the point. He clicked send, and then erased the original message. Exiting the program, he decided he'd go check on how Jeannie's mind jaunt was going.  
  
    
  
End Part 7C  
  
Notes!  
  
1. This is in reference to the Phalanx - an enemy that's kinda like the Borg on Star Trek. They assimilate any organism into their collective consciousness, but the soul is still there. They just can't do anything about it. Jubilee was referring to her friend Blink who was assimilated and killed by the Borg.  
  
2. The famous Wolverine storyline where his adamantium skeleton was ripped out. In my story, like in the comics, he has it back. I mentioned this before - in this fic, he has his adamantium, placing this story in a TWT - at one point he lost it, but has it back, even though this story takes place in a time when the comic-Wolverine still doesn't. *pause* Did that make sense to you?  
  
3. Referring to Artie and Leech. Artie has pink skin and is mute. He communicates through mental pictures. Leech is green-skinned, and has the power to drain the power of any other mutant in his immediate vicinity. Leech and Artie are survivors of the Morlock clan that was killed in Marvel time ish's Uncanny X-men 210 to 214. At the time though, they were living with a team called X-Factor, which is how they escaped being killed. Both are gues-stemated at being approx. 7-9 yrs old.  
  
*holds up a sign saying, " Please Feed the Author "* 


	8. Chapter 8

TADAIMA!!  
  
oi, it's been a while, neh? But I finally got a burst of inspiration - not to mention a concussion from said burst - that came when I was digging through some old comics and reading about various mind trips the 'paths all do every now and then. *shrugs* Blame Noying for the psychotic parts, and George for the sad parts. *sniffles* See?  
  
Anyhoo - enough rambling - we all know what you're here for!  
  
Noying: Money!  
  
Stormy: What's that? No - they're here for the fic!  
  
Noying: *mutters* That's what YOU think...  
  
BTW - a little information. At the end of chapter 8 (probably about 2-3 parts), this will end the first story arc of Heart of Darkness. This however, is not the end of the series.  
  
Noying: Because you left so many plot threads hanging.  
  
Stormy: True. The end is near, but with it comes a new beginning - the HOD AU! There's going to be some one-shots, some mini-series, all taking place within this AU, specially because the boys don't have a ride home yet! So look for a bunch of ficlets coming your way!  
  
See 'Drea? You inspired me for this!  
  
Thanks to everyone who's sent C&C, and fic ideas - Blue - just wait and see how many of your ideas get put to paper!  
  
ENOUGH RAMBLING! ON WITH THE FIC!!  
  
Title: Heart of Darkness  
  
Part: 8A  
  
Author: Stormy  
  
Archiving: If I haven't already said yes, just ask me. And I know who I've said yes to!  
  
Warnings: Light angst, some fluff, some sadness *hands out box of tissues*  
  
Enjoy!  
  
   
  
   
  
1.1 Into the Heart of Darkness by Stormy  
  
1.1.1 Part 8A  
  
   
  
Jean shivered and rubbed her arms in an effort to warm away the goose bumps that had popped up. The snow was falling in soft flakes that tried to melt away the instant they hit the ground, but there were too many of them to succeed. Drifts piled up here and there across the deserted street, and Jean squinted, trying hard to see in the dim glow of the fading streetlights.  
  
'This was Duo's mindscape?' she wondered briefly, her heart twinging at the dismal surroundings. All of the buildings were dark, and a chill went through as the air passed by. She walked slowly, listening for a hint of sound, something to show her where Duo was. 'Did he live here at one time?' It was such a sad-looking place, but Jean knew this had to be a reflection of some place that Duo knew.  
  
A giggle sounded to her left and she turned her head sharply, catching sight of a small figure dashing into an alleyway.  
  
" Duo?" Jean called out hesitantly as she hurried towards the elusive sound. Reaching the alleyway, she peered around carefully, and saw nothing except some old beat up garbage cans, some of the trash long since spilling over on to the ground.  
  
" Mrroowww..."  
  
Jean gasped as a lop-eared tabby cat crouched onto the rickety fence lining the alleyway, its yellow eyes glaring balefully at her. She took a step back and the cat suddenly yowled at her and ran away. " What-"  
  
" You don't belong here."  
  
Jean cried out and whirled around, falling into a defensive stance. A strand of red hair fell into her eyes and she brushed it away automatically. " Duo?"  
  
A young boy, almost anorexically thin, perched on a cement block in front of the streetlight. It's fading light cast the front of the child in shadows but Jean had no trouble seeing his eyes. Violet beams drilled into her, mentally taking inventory of her, who she was, what she wanted. Long, chestnut hair straggled down the slender form, the light wind whipping clumps of it over and around his face but those eyes never wavered. The child couldn't have been more then seven or eight, but the voice that answered her gentle query sounded years older.  
  
" So?"  
  
Jean swallowed and took a step forward. Young Duo growled, and she stopped.  
  
" I'm a friend," she said gently, meeting his gaze openly. Her mind exuded thoughts of peace and goodwill, but the boy's muscles remained as taut as pulled wire.  
  
" No friend of mine," the child finally spoke, crossing his arms defiantly. Jean almost smiled and she crouched down, meeting his gaze on an even level.  
  
" You're right - you don't know me. But I know you." She cocked her head to one side. " And I know your friends."  
  
" Friends?" The defiant gaze almost dropped as a curious lilt entered chibi- Duo's voice.  
  
" The friends you'll have when you're bigger." Jean stood up slowly. " I know you're protecting the real Duo, but I'm only here to help. Can I talk to him?"  
  
Young Duo's cocky brashness dropped away as he too stood slowly. He regarded her slowly, nodding to himself as he came to a realization.  
  
" You're real."  
  
" Yes I am," Jean nodded. " And you are not."  
  
The child smirked at her, then shivered as the wind howled its way along the alley again. Jeans hands found her arms again.  
  
" Duo? May I change the scenery?" she asked, not wanting to overstep her bounds. Some telepaths might have just forced the child to reveal Duo's location and by-pass the acting, but when dealing with the subconscious, irreparable damage to the persons psyche could be easily avoided by playing along. Jean knew that Duo was hurt enough without forcing her way through his barriers. But the child was giving her a puzzled look, and she frowned.  
  
" What's wrong?"  
  
" Change the scenery?" Duo's young voice sounded unsure. Jean raised her hand, open-palmed.  
  
" May I?"  
  
Curious, young Duo nodded. With a wave of her hand, the snow and wind disappeared, the sun reappearing as if by magic. Gentle warm beams surrounded them, the houses losing their dark appearance. Children's laughing voices could be heard in the background, the rumble of your everyday, typical neighbourhood. Jean was smiling as she turned to look at Duo's mind guardian - and found him pressed back against the fence, eyes wide with shock and fright.  
  
" Turn it back!!" he begged, squeezing his eyes shut. " Don't show me!"  
  
Confused, and slightly alarmed, Jean changed the scenery back to the winter wasteland. Chibi-Duo slowly unfurled himself from the fence, watching her intently, the mistrust back in his eyes. Jean sighed as she took in the defensive nature of the child's stance.  
  
" What happened there?" she asked gently.  
  
" It was happy," the chibi answered quietly, eyes now a dark purple as he stared at her accusingly. " It's not supposed to be happy. 'Cause it'll hurt more when its gone."  
  
Jean sucked in her breath as she realized what the child was telling her. The old adage, 'you can't miss what you don't have' danced through her mind and she blinked back tears of sorrow for the poor child.  
  
" I'm sorry," she whispered. The boy nodded once and stood up in preparation to leave. " Wait!"  
  
" You can't come with me," the child informed her. Jean's eyes widened as a set of red eyes appeared in the background, watching her, watching Duo.  
  
" Duo?"  
  
" He doesn't trust you," the child intoned, backing away even more. " He doesn't know you and he'll hurt you for sure."  
  
Jean reached out but the child leaped nimbly away. She rushed forward to follow when she bounced off a barrier. Pulsing red translucence, she ran her hands over it and knew that she couldn't get through without applying damaging force. Only trust would willingly weaken the barrier, and she closed her eyes, sensing for the key. She got a faint image of white wings, spread gloriously to the heavens, and a pair of cobalt blue eyes that pierced her to the core. Opening her eyes, she smiled.  
  
" Okay Duo," she whispered, stroking the barrier softly as one would a kitten. " I understand. You're frightened and you don't want to be hurt. Sinister hurt you, didn't he? And you're trying to hide now, using your injury as an excuse." She smiled gently; it was so like Morph it was scary. " I'm leaving now Duo, but I'll come back okay? And I'll bring your friend with me so you don't have to be scared."  
  
Jean stepped back and concentrated. A minute later, her physical body trembled, and her eyes opened to see a worried Heero staring at her intensely. Hank stood next to the professor who also opened his eyes, releasing his hold on the link he'd helped Jean establish.  
  
" It's okay," she said, reinforcing her words with a little mental nudge. " I'm fine."  
  
" Is Duo?" Heero growled, trying unsuccessfully to banish the concern from his voice. Jean shrugged.  
  
" I don't know," she said, her smile fading. " I couldn't find him - he didn't know me, so he wouldn't let me in." Her expression changed, sadness stealing over her features. " It was so dark and lonely...."  
  
" Did his subconscious stop you?" asked Hank with interest. Jean nodded and looked at the Professor.  
  
" You handled it well Jean," said Charles. " To force your way in would have caused more damage then necessary."  
  
Heero was fuming. " What happened? Force your way where?"  
  
Jean turned her attention back to the Wing pilot.  
  
" Duo's mind had a barrier around it. Everyone's does, but thanks to Sinister, his was a little stronger then most. I could have gotten through easily if I so chose, but to tear away at the layers of a person's mind could reduce them to the state of a vegetable, if it shatters."  
  
Heero froze, his mind going over the possibility. " But nothing like that happened?"  
  
" No," Jean said forcefully. " I would never enter a mind against a person's will. You have to be invited."  
  
" Well, how do you do that?" Heero asked brusquely. "The sooner we do, the sooner we can find out if he's still under some kind of mind control."  
  
Jean smiled at him. In fact, they all did. Heero's eyes narrowed as he realized they were all staring at him as though they had something in mind. " What?"  
  
" You're going to come with me," Jean said, still smiling.  
  
    
  
   
  
Wufei followed the sounds of muffled sobs. Inwardly he winced, knowing he was the cause of them, thanks to his callous words back in the kitchen. No doubt, Quatre had been prepared to give him a good tongue-lashing for his rudeness, when Jubilee had beat him to the punch. He cringed as he realized that having left Quatre and Trowa alone back in the kitchen, the Arabian might still get in a tongue-lashing of his own. He shuddered, shoving those thoughts out of his mind and focusing on the task at hand: apologizing to one Jubilation Lee. He shuddered again - it was like re-living life with Meiran.  
  
" Jubilee?" He called out softly as he entered the large living room. The choked sobs instantly cut off as he said her name and he saw the young girl standing at the window, arms folded tightly against her chest, her back half to him.  
  
" What's up?" she asked roughly, keeping her eyes staring steadily out the window. " Look, I said I was sorry, okay? You didn't have to come out here and--"  
  
" I came to apologize," Wufei interrupted smoothly. " I was extremely rude in saying you had no knowledge of our pain when in fact you experience it just as much. I had no right to say what I did to you and I'm sorry."  
  
Astounded, Jubilee turned and stared at him, jaw dropping open. " You are?"  
  
Wufei rankled slightly - was he really so hard to believe? " Yes, I am," he said testily, and Jubilee grinned at him.  
  
" Sorry - it's just that it's usually me that has to apologize," she admitted with a smirk. " Come to think of it, since for once it's not my fault, let's see you do some grovelling!"  
  
Wufei growled and turned to leave. He'd made his apologies, justice had been restored, his part was done. He was stopped from leaving by Jubilee's plaintive voice.  
  
" Wait!" She tugged his arm enough to turn him to face her again. " Look, I'm sorry - I'm not sure how to act around you so I joked." She stared at him levelly. " You really hurt me, Chang."  
  
" I know," Wufei said. " It was unintentional."  
  
" We've both got our fair share of pain," she continued. " But that just means we may understand each other better right? Can we start over? I really want to be your friend Wufei." She stuck her hand out at him.  
  
Wufei stared at the outstretched hand and smiled inwardly. Solemnly reaching out, he grasped her small hand in his and shook it firmly. Raising his eyes to meet hers, he was rewarded with a genuine smile from the Chinese girl.  
  
" Wufei Chang," he said. " It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Lee."  
  
" Likewise," she said as she flung her arms around him in an exuberant hug. Wufei's eyes nearly popped out of his head but before he could even think of raising his arms to return the embrace, she had already danced out of reach, reaching back to snag the strap of his dark tank top and pulling him back to the kitchen. " C'mon Chang!"  
  
Poor Wufei was dragged out of the living room at high speed and into the kitchen in time to see Jubilee let loose a tiny plasma burst at the intertwined couple on the kitchen seats. Quatre and Trowa both eeped as they were shocked apart.  
  
" J-Jubilee?" Quatre stammered as he tried to calm his racing heartbeat. Beside him, Trowa was flaming fire-red. Quatre also noticed Wufei standing slightly behind the Chinese girl, seeming once again at ease. " I see you two made up?"  
  
Jubilee winked.  
  
" Kinda like you two, neh Quatre?"  
  
Quatre's eyes widened and he suddenly grinned at her, while Wufei joined Trowa in turning an even more brilliant shade of scarlet.  
  
" You fast worker you," Quatre cooed, shooting a sly grin at Wufei. " I didn't think Wufei had it in him."  
  
" Kisama!" sputtered Wufei as he tried to hide his face by thunking it on the tabletop.  
  
Outside the kitchen, Wolverine listened casually as the tension was completely dissolved. Only his trust that the young ones would work it out themselves had prevented him from introducing that Wufei kid to his claws for making his Jubilee cry. He snorted silently - all of those kids were okay in his book, having seen the way they worked together in taking care of the machines, or how Wufei and Heero had handled both Shinigami and the other X-men back at the warehouse. Turning away, he caught site of the Cajun as Remy sauntered his way towards him.  
  
" Remy."  
  
" Logan." Gambit returned the curt greeting. He heard the laughter emanating from the kitchen and he raised an eyebrow. Wolverine shrugged.  
  
" Goin' downstairs?"  
  
" Just checkin' on how Mademoiselle Grey is doin' wit de kid," Remy shrugged. " Rogue be talkin' wit' Moira by now probably - de woman may be flyin' here to help La Bete in figurin' out a way to get dem kids home."  
  
" Wonderful," Logan growled. " The madwoman that hates my cigars. She's the only one who can follow me thanks to those blasted cameras." He scowled at the memory of the last time the X-Men vacationed on Muir Island. Remy burst out laughing at the memory of a soaking wet, bedraggled looking Wolverine stomping through the hallways, drenched stogie still clenched between his teeth.  
  
" Be a pity for you, homme," he chuckled. Wolverine glared at him and looked at his pocket where he knew the Cajun kept his cigarettes.  
  
" I wouldn't laugh if I were you, *homme*," he said pointedly. Remy stopped laughing as the implications hit him. Clutching his cigarettes protectively, Remy moved past the smirking Wolverine.  
  
" I t'ink I check on the 'paths now," he muttered, even as his mind began trying to figure out a way to protect his beloved nicotine. Moira was a sadist - and a practical joker at heart. She would find him too. " Bet Roguie'd be happy 'bout dat."  
  
Logan heard his mutter and laughed out loud before disappearing outside. It was a beautiful day.  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero was positive he hadn't heard the woman correctly. " I'm going with you?" he asked again. Jean nodded.  
  
" Yup."  
  
" I'm not a telepath," Heero pointed out calmly, stealing a look at the near comatose boy on the sterile bed. " And even if I were, I wouldn't be as strong as you - how could I get past a barrier that *you* can't?"  
  
" Because Duo knows and trusts you," Jean answered just as calmly, one hand idly stroking the chestnut hair that fell along Duo's bed. Heero's eyes zeroed in on her movements and she stopped, smiling inwardly at the fierce protectiveness she was registering. " He'll let you into his mind, and me along with you. Then we can see what's wrong."  
  
" But.." Heero's voice trailed off. he had to admit that it made sense, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Quite the contrary - he hated it. For all his exuberance and vitality, Duo Maxwell was a very private person. The thought of just entering Duo's head and seeing all his secrets made him feel disloyal to the boy he called his partner. There was something just morally wrong about it.  
  
" There must be a reason that he's blocking us out."  
  
" There is," Jean said gently. " And we have to know if it's Shinigami or Duo keeping us from entering."  
  
The woman's words hit home. An image of the snarling, blood-soaked Shinigami entered his mind and he shuddered in revulsion. That wasn't Duo. They had to make sure.  
  
" Mission accepted," he said tonelessly, eyes going blank and emotionless. Jean frowned as she scanned his projected thoughts.  
  
//Treat it like a mission, like any other mission...//  
  
She shook her head and looked at the Professor. " Sir?"  
  
" Ready when you are, Jean." Charles Xavier closed his mind as he felt Jean re-open the link and anchored himself firmly to his own mind, fastening a similar anchor to Jean and Heero. Jean smiled and closed her eyes, the only signal that Heero was given.  
  
Heero had been sitting when he was suddenly pulled into a vortex within his own mind, and he cried out instinctively. Suddenly he was back on firm ground and he blinked rapidly, noting Jean's steadying presence at his side. He shook his head and looked around, shivering in spite of himself as the winds howled around them.  
  
" Are we in Duo's mind?" he asked in surprise. This was not what he was expecting from the mind of the crazy bouncing American. " This?"  
  
He gestured to the desolate scene stretched before them, and Jean nodded sadly.  
  
" This is what his mind projects," she confirmed. " Sad, isn't it?"  
  
Heero nodded absently as he took in his surroundings. It was so gloomy, and cold. A wave of loneliness washed over him and he started at the feel of it, wondering if that was Duo's emotions he felt, or his own.  
  
" Both."  
  
Heero and Jean both turned at the spoken word and Heero gasped. Chibi-Duo stood in front of them, arms crossed in that familiar, defiant pose. Jean smiled and gestured to Heero.  
  
" Hello again, Duo. Do you know who this is?" she asked carefully.  
  
Young Duo nodded.  
  
" He's allowed," was all he said as he backed away, motioning for Heero to follow him. Heero was vaguely aware of Jean following close behind and he ignored her. He could still feel a faint sense of unease that was growing, and with a start, he realized what it was. He glanced at Jean out of the corner of his eye.  
  
Jean passed him and showed him the barrier. Solid to her touch, he had a pliant, moveable feel to Heero and Jean smiled.  
  
" He knows it's you, Heero," she said joyfully. Heero snorted and looked at her.  
  
" Now what?" Even as he spoke, a section of the wall melted away. Just a bit, but more then enough. Jean clapped her hands and started for the hole. In a flash though, Heero passed her and entered the wall quickly, turning and helping it seal behind him. He heard Jean cry out and he shrugged, only partly apologetic.  
  
Outside, Jean hit the wall futilely, and debated whether or not she should force her way in. Heero was no telepath and there was no telling what could happen to him within the depths of a person's mind. He could be killed, his mind destroyed, and his boy remaining in a coma-state.  
  
:: Professor? Should I go in? ::  
  
//NO!//  
  
Heero's voice echoed around her and she jumped back from the wall in surprise.  
  
:: Heero? ::  
  
//Stay out// came the terse reply, and Jean felt the professor nod mentally.  
  
:: It's up to Heero now, Jean :: he thought calmly.  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero waited until he was sure Jean wouldn't follow him. The sense of unease that had plagued him since his arrival in Duo's mind abated somewhat and he knew he'd done the right thing. If they wanted to find out what was wrong, he'd do what he could. But this was still Duo's mind - he obviously had a reason for not letting Jean in. Heero didn't see any way that he had the right to circumvent Duo's reasoning and had entered before Jean could. Now if only he knew what to do. He stepped forward, looking around carefully.  
  
He looked like he was inside the burnt out remains of what used to be a church. Everything was bathed in shades of red and black, and he realized with a start that the walls were dripping with blood. A curled-up form drew his attention and he focused on it.  
  
" Duo?"  
  
No answer. He took another step forward, feeling as though something were watching him.  
  
" Duo, is that you?"  
  
" ...y-you shouldn't have come, Heero..." came the faint reply. Heero gasped as the slender form raised its head, revealing pain-filled violet eyes.  
  
" Why not?" he asked carefully, keeping his voice even as he felt excitement at finally seeing Duo, *his* Duo. He stepped forward hesitantly. Duo shuddered and curled up even tighter.  
  
" Because *he's* in control right now...."  
  
" He?" Even as he spoke the word aloud, the hairs on the back of his neck rose and he jumped away just as a shining silver blade sliced the air where he'd been standing. " What the--"  
  
" Crashing MY party?" came a hissing laugh as a familiar, black-clad figure crouched before him. Fire danced in gleaming eyes, the burn of insanity reaching out and attacking Heero with its intensity. Heero took a step backwards as he recognized the growling figure.  
  
" Shinigami..."  
  
    
  
End Part 8A  
  
*cackles dementedly* I try to be evil.....*Stormy appears in robes, carrying a large sign* " The end is near! The end is near!" *ahem*  
  
Feed the author, onegai!!!  
  
   
  
Author's Notes:  
  
First, lemme es'plain a coupla things. For one, there is no - repeat NO - mention of GW in this little interlude. This deals strictly with the business Remy was tending to in New Orleans waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in chapter one. However, it was important to do this for a couple of things:  
  
A) It will better explain Remy's background  
  
B) It will introduce you to several characters that will be popping up as the fic progresses, and explains their roles in my GWX universe.  
  
C) It sets up the next story in HOD - AFTER Duo wakes up.  
  
Duo: When's THAT chapter coming out?  
  
*Ahem* Soon. *cough* Very soon.  
  
Again, no GW in this part - but I bet when you finish reading it, you'll have an idea of where I'm going with it, neh? *grins*  
  
Heero: *dryly* Yeah right.  
  
*sweatdrops* Ano...anyway - for better or for worse here it is!  
  
   
  
1.2  Interlude  
  
   
  
New Orleans bustled with an intensity that rivalled any other city in the world. Thousands of people roamed the streets, checking the vender's wares, laughing as street performers entertained them as they ran their daily errands. Voices called out, laughter rang through the streets, the very air itself was alive with exuberance.  
  
Jean-Luc Lebeau smiled at the city laid out below him with a hint of pride that seemed almost paternal. In a way, it was only fitting he should feel that way - after all, a great deal of the city was run by him, and under his protection in joint ownership, to use the term loosely, with the Assassins Guild.  
  
Jean-Luc turned away from the window of his penthouse suite, and snapped his fingers. Instantly, a younger member of his own Thieves Guild was there with his briefcase. Sparing him a quick nod of thanks, Jean-Luc strode briskly to his own private elevator. Punching the button for the sub- basement, he leaned back against the cool metal wall and let his thoughts wander. As they often did when unattended, his thoughts drifted to his adopted son.  
  
Remy was his pride and joy, a source of delight since the day the grubby street urchin had picked his pocket in the marketplace all those years ago. Jean-Luc smiled in reminiscence - what a fine young man he'd turned out to be! Handsome, strong, agile - and a Master Thief. It was his finest hour as a parent when he, along with the other two Master Thieves had presented Remy with a silver-hilted dagger, and inscribed their Guild insignia high on the nape of his neck, easily concealed by his hair. His son was one of the four most dangerous humans in the world, mutant powers aside. Even his own biological child Pierre didn't have nearly the ability of his adopted brother.  
  
The man chuckled - not only was Remy a Master Thief, he also retained the brief training he'd had under an Assassin tutor in the few days directly following the end of their blood feud with the other Guild.  
  
Still, for all his child's skill, Jean-Luc still worried about him. Remy was also a member of the X-Men, a notorious band of mutants that fought some of the most deadliest creatures on the planet. Jean-Luc had no quarrel with mutants, especially since his own son was one, but some of the acts he'd witnessed by mutants claiming to do it all for the good of their own kind, made him sick. He recalled watching one battle the X-Men had against Magneto, when for a brief period of time, the silver-haired mutant had held New York City hostage, trying to turn it into a homeland for mutants. It was frightening knowing his son dealt with such matters all the time. It was a parent's prerogative to worry about their children.  
  
It was also a parent's prerogative to worry about the future, he mused thoughtfully. A soft *ding* went off as the elevator reached the sub- basement. The automatic door slid back with a faint hiss of air, and he nodded to the two sentries whose eyes never left the entryway. You could never be too careful of who was coming down, even when you knew the sentry you'd left back in your suite had already phoned down to inform them of their leader's movements.  
  
Jean-Luc strode down the narrow but well-lit hallway, eyes focused on the guarded archway ahead. This was his own private entrance to the underground labyrinth that made up the lair of the Thieves Guild. The door slid open, hidden cameras already showing who it was to the inner chamber, and Jean- Luc stepped forward to see his council rising to their feet at his appearance.  
  
Waving them back into their chairs, Jean-Luc seated himself at the head of the table, meeting each one of his council members with a brief nod of greeting. His son, one of the Senior Guild Leaders, and heir to the Guild itself, sat at his right hand; his Chief Advisor, Claude Lafier, to his left. The remainder of the seats were filled in no particular order as they were all leaders of different factions within the Guild, and awarded each other mutual respect and an inbred sense of comraderie that was legendary, and chief of all reasons why the Guild remained such a strong, though hidden, political faction within New Orleans.  
  
" Greetings Master Thief," Claude started out formally, a warm smile in his eyes. The two of them had been friends for years, even back in their childhood days. Jean-Luc returned the greeting, reaching over to clasp the man's hand in a firm shake. His son watched the two of them, tension radiating from his body. Jean-Luc said nothing, even as he sensed the rising unease in his son; he knew it was nothing directed at anyone in particular in that council room, but that he was anxious to get things underway. A quick glance at Claude told him Claude knew it as well, and he sighed.  
  
" I know you're anxious to begin, Pierre," he said, turning his attention to his son. All eyes followed him, but Pierre didn't mind - he'd been involved with the Guild and its inner proceedings since he'd been old enough to sit quietly and listen. Like his father before him, Jean-Luc believed that the grooming of the next in line should begin as young as possible. " I'll let you start."  
  
Pierre acknowledged this with a rueful smile.  
  
" My apologies father - I mean no disrespect by rushing you."  
  
His father nodded once.  
  
Pierre sighed and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the polished marble top. His eyes raked over each and every member of the council, making contact.  
  
" We have some serious business to attend to, regarding de Guild's future."  
  
" I assume you're talking 'bout de New York faction," came a voice from up the table. Pierre focused his gaze on the speaker, nodding.  
  
" Robert, you know better den anyone, what de situation is like."  
  
Robert Marks had been Advisor to the Guild Master Julian Lumiere, who ran the New York faction of the Thieves Guild. One of the four Master Thieves, Julian had been a strong leader of the Thieves, making valuable contacts in New York that served them in good stead for many, many years.  
  
Sadly, time catches up to everyone, even Master Thieves, and Julian had succumbed to illness the previous year. His Advisor had been the one to help his successor, handpicked by both Julian before he'd fallen ill, and Jean-Luc, enter the position of power. Robert sighed.  
  
" Jean-Luc - as Advisor of the New York council, I strongly urge you to speak with our leader."  
  
" You forget who he is," Jean-Luc commented wryly. Claude smothered a brief smile and raised one hand slightly, acknowledging his right to speak.  
  
" What has he done dis time?"  
  
" Nothing - and therein lies the problem," Robert said calmly. " Your son may be the best thief in the world, Jean-Luc, but he has outside ties that lead him away from our way of doing things."  
  
'Remy, Remy, Remy,' Jean-Luc sighed mentally. ' Always causing problems, even when you're not there.' Fond as he was of the boy, he was still an exasperating son-of-a-bitch.  
  
" Explain," Claude commanded.  
  
" Since taking over Master Julian's position, he has turned most leadership duties over to me, to act as I see fit. While this emphasizes his trust in me, it is not my place to be doing such things. He is a Master Thief, Leader of the New York section of our Guild - and he needs to act like it!"  
  
" I repeat - what has he done? What is your chief complaint?" Jean- Luc stared at the man, and was proud to see Robert stand his ground, unashamed, and unafraid. Jean-Luc already knew the complaint - this particular discussion had been a recurring theme for the past several months, but matters dictated that he begin again, to ensure everyone there understood the situation at hand.  
  
" He is supposed to be overseeing our operations, making contacts and keeping them, for one thing." Robert drummed his fingers on the marble. " Granted, he's there when we need him, and he always has the Guild's best interests at heart, but aside from the fact he's very well-known thanks to his exposure as an X-Man, he's not fulfilling the other duties required of a leader."  
  
" Such as?" This came from Pierre. True or not, he was still loyal to his baby brother, and it irked him to hear anyone criticize him. Even if it was family.  
  
Robert looked at Pierre and bowed his head once, trying to transmit peacefulness through body language. He knew Remy was a touchy subject, but it had to be addressed. he knew Pierre knew that as well.  
  
" He needs to select a successor. Someone to whom the arts can be taught and passed down. There are trade secrets that died with Master Julian, known only to Master Thieves and their Apprentices. Remy has not even thought of that, in all the years since his ascension in rank."  
  
" He's rather young to be looking for an Apprentice, no?" asked Henri Lafife, one of the senior Guild members in charge of training young thieves in their art. " He's not even t'irty years old, isn't that right, Jean- Luc?"  
  
" Twenty-six," Pierre confirmed instead. " He has plenty of time to t'ink about heirs and Apprentices."  
  
" I said nothing of heirs," Robert reminded them. " And with a girlfriend like Rogue, he's unlikely to have a child of his own, anytime soon."  
  
Jean-Luc winced - another sore point with the Guild. It was a shame - he liked Rogue, and thought she was good for his son. Loyal, strong and fearless - too bad about the other aspects of her power.  
  
" I mean an Apprentice - Remy Lebeau has been a Master Thief for seven years, and has never once considered taking aside one of our many talented youngsters, to further educate them in our ways."  
  
" Perhaps he has not yet discovered someone dat he feels is ready to learn such methods," ventured Henri. " Selecting an Apprentice is not something to take lightly."  
  
" We have many young thieves that fit that profile we tend to look for," Robert returned the volley easily. " It is his duty as Guild Leader to train someone."  
  
Pierre scowled. " I'd like to bring back de point dat Remy is still young - I fail to see de urgency in all of dis. He was here briefly less den two weeks ago to help out wit' a situation we had brewing in one of de adjacent towns - he brought our agent out wit' ease. His quick response proves his loyalty to us - no matter his ties elsewhere, he is still one of us and should be treated as such."  
  
Robert sat back. " I meant no disrespect, Pierre. I'm simply bringing this to your attention."  
  
" I understand," Pierre replied wearily. " I want to know why. When I spoke wit' him briefly on dis subject, he also failed to see de urgency in dis."  
  
It was the same argument, over and over again.  
  
Robert hedged slightly, even though his outward expression remained the same. One of the first things any Guild member was taught was to keep a straight face under any circumstances. Still, the point he had to make made even him feel uneasy.  
  
" I merely wish to point out that in Gambit's case, age is irrelevant," he began gently. " As a member of the X-Men, he finds himself in increasingly dangerous situations everyday. Thievery is one thing - battles against mutants whose powers can kill in single blows, or theoretically destroy the planet is something different. Despite Remy's skill, he still spends a fair amount of time in the X- Mansion infirmary for various battle wounds." Robert stopped speaking for a minute to gage his audience's response. Pierre had resignation written all over his face, while Jean-Luc's remained impassive. Henri looked to be considering his words carefully. Robert sighed and spread his hands out on the table.  
  
" All I ask sir, is that you speak to your son about choosing an Apprentice, to ensure that our ways and our methods won't be forgotten. It is by these methods that our Guild has survived for so many generations, no?"  
  
Pierre chewed his lip thoughtfully before turning to his father. Jean- Luc sighed, knowing the truth in Robert's statements. As much as he would like to deny it, his son ran a very real risk of death every time his communicator went off. A faint pain pulsed in the back of his head, prelude to what he knew would become a migraine in due course. Rubbing his temples, he stood slowly. Immediately, all the councilmen rose to their feet. Jean- Luc sought out Roberts eyes and nodded slowly.  
  
" You make some excellent points Robert," he admitted. " I don't like to admit dat my son's life is in considerable more jeopardy den my own - no parent does - but I see dat you only have de Guild's best interests at heart. I will speak to my son regarding d'ese matters. Pierre?" he asked, turning to his son.  
  
" Father?"  
  
" Has Remy contacted us yet?"  
  
" I received a brief message from him today, father - apparently he has some important business wit' de X-Men to finish up, even d'ough I asked him to give an answer to d'ese matters." Pierre shook his head. Having to discuss this day in, and day out - and then emailing his impulsive younger sibling all the time, trying to nail him down long enough to get his take on things was getting tiresome. " He told me he would be in touch."  
  
" Notify me at once when you hear from him - I will speak to him myself. Understood?"  
  
" Yes sir." Pierre nodded sharply.  
  
" Good. Thank you gentlemen, for coming." Jean-Luc dismissed all of them, barely noticing as they left, eyes staring at the wall as he contemplated what to do. If Remy had failed to choose one of the New York Thieves as an Apprentice, then that meant he hadn't found one yet with the skill and ability. Teaching could only do so much. He sighed again.  
  
'Remy, Remy, Remy....what am I gonna do with you?'  
  
    
  
End Interlude  
  
*holds hands up* Okay, okay - I know some of you nitpickers out there are probably ready to rip my head off at the language usage - I don't know french. So for manners sake, these conferences are all spoken in English, Guild members being fluent in many, many languages anyway. But the accent still sticks! And every garbled word I used is actually taken from an X-men book where Gambit is speaking, so for the New Orleans members of the ML - or any French speakers (since we've had an influx of them) - blame Marvel if I've butchered your language. Okay? *grins*  
  
Stormy  
  
    
  
  
  
1.2.1 Part 8B  
  
   
  
'And here I thought this day couldn't possibly get any weirder.'  
  
It could have been the fact that he had been ungraciously uprooted from his own mental stability and unceremoniously dropped into someone else's. It also could have been the fact that the featured mind in his own one-sided discussion was his partners. That was kind of freaky too. However, Heero couldn't decide if it was his own ethereal presence in the American's mind that was giving him the heebie-jeebies or the fact that he was staring at two Duo's, both appearing to be at opposite ends of the personality spectrum.  
  
' As if one wasn't enough.'  
  
Heero immediately berated himself mentally for such fickle thoughts when there was a snarling, demon-like creature wearing his partner's face, standing only a few feet away.  
  
" Let me guess," he said sarcastically, body automatically shifting into a defensive stance as it always did when confronted by an unknown. Though oft- times the bane of his existence, there were instances that he did thank Doctor J for drilling such reactions into him. " Shinigami, I presume."  
  
A dark chuckle answered his words, and Heero watched, face devoid of any outer emotion, as the black-clad killer slowly straightened, licking his lips with a gruesome sort of anticipation. His eyes burned with a cold fire, flickering from Heero to Duo and back, a predatory light glowing in their depths. Thin lips pulled back in a semblance of a smile as his voice hissed out at them.  
  
" So clever...." he rasped, not bothering to hide his amusement. " Maybe I'll keep you around after I dispose of *him*."  
  
Heero started at the sound of Duo's voice laced with such venom, and he quickly looked down at his hapless partner who was watching Shinigami with a kind of resigned terror. Duo mutely stared at his doppelganger as though waiting for some kind of sign, a hint to when he was going to disappear. Heero didn't like the idea much. Call it a quirk, but he'd been through the emotional wringer a bit too often lately - ' a novel thing for me, I'm *sure*,' he thought dryly - and he was getting damn sick and tired of being threatened. His own cobalt eyes narrowed into angry slits.  
  
" Dispose of him," he echoed, listening to the sound of his voice bounce off the walls - if there were even walls there to begin with. Heero was beginning to regret keeping Jean out - she might have been able to explain the complexities of determining what was real and what was not; a difficult task to do when in your own mind, let alone someone else's.  
  
" How can you dispose of him? You're not even real."  
  
" I'm not?" The jocosity of his tone was wearing thin on Heero's last nerve. Shinigami hefted what Heero now saw to be a smaller version of the scythe that was a part of Duo's Gundam. " Then this won't hurt a bit!"  
  
Shinigami's slim frame unfurled completely as he launched himself through the air with lightening quickness, his raised arms swinging in a downward arc, bringing bladed death with them. Heero's own reflexes were on autopilot; when Shinigami's body hurtled towards him, he was vaguely aware of himself gripping Duo by the (theoretical) collar of his priest's outfit and throwing him hard to one side. His own hands came back up just in time to catch Shinigami's wrists, his body twisting out of range of the metal blade's bite. His manoeuvre gave him the leverage he needed to pull and propel Shinigami over his head and to the ground.  
  
' Gorilla-press ' he thought disjointedly, the quick-think move reminding of a time when Rashid, the Maganacs and Catherine, while on a joint get together, had convinced the pilot's to watch a wrestling marathon with them, despite the fact that it was A) completely fake, and B) nothing more then a display of muscle, hair and how much you could intimidate someone by yelling derangedly, but not by actually doing something. As he recalled, Wufei had started screeching injustice at the on-screen proceedings and had walked out. Heero had been non-pulsed, even though some of the moves had looked interesting to him. ' What am I doing?'  
  
He glanced over, somewhat anxiously at where he'd thrown Duo and was relieved to see the braided one sitting up slowly, though somewhat confusedly. " Duo?"  
  
Duo shook his head as though trying to rid himself of something before looking up at the sound of his name. " H-Heero?" he asked, voice sounding somewhat unsure. " What's going on?"  
  
' Good question.'  
  
" I'll let you know when I figure it out," he said, turning his gaze back to where Shinigami had regained his footing and was perched on...nothing...staring at them, a malicious grin on those deceptively cherubic features. Heero felt a sense of frustration well up within him at the sight of his enemy sitting on what appeared to be a pile of air.  
  
" I'm a Gundam pilot," he muttered, shoving his bangs out of his eyes. " The physics of this should be easy for me to understand." 'So why aren't they?'  
  
Suddenly, he really wished Jean were there. Not his nature to depend on anyone, he nonetheless realized he was way out of his league.  
  
' Should've thought of that before I locked the door.'  
  
    
  
   
  
Duo sat where he'd landed, fighting to regain his senses. He still wasn't quite sure what was going on, only that he was in his own mind, and Heero was sending his best Death Glare 'O Doom at what looked to be a copy of himself.  
  
' Correction' he amended hastily. ' *Was* himself.'  
  
Shinigami had been having a good old time, re-hashing some of his more interesting kills, using Duo's body, doing visual replays when he felt his own vivid descriptions weren't horrifying enough. Duo had been sickened when he'd first woken up within his own mind and found himself a prisoner of his own madness. he was no scientist, but even he realized what had happened.  
  
The implant Sinister had put into his head had done more then just make him evil. It had awakened a part of Duo that the American had fought to keep under control all his life; the part of him that was angry at the world, livid at the powers-that-be that took away his family and friends. The very core of his soul that was Duo Maxwell that pulsed with thoughts of revenge. The hidden facet of him that only emerged in brief spurts when he was high on the thrill of adrenaline while commanding destruction in the cockpit of Deathscythe.  
  
The bug had fed off him, nourished by his inner hatred and rage, and had taken on a sentient form of its own, one that delighted in bloodshed and mayhem; one that delighted in all the things Duo abhorred, and it was worse, knowing that as much as he hated Shinigami, it was still a part of him, and therefore, his fault for all the deaths Shinigami's birth had wrought.  
  
' I am Death,' he thought miserably. ' Just as I always said.'  
  
His gaze flickered over to Heero who was standing in front of him now, muscles tense as he watched Shinigami with a focus that was chilling. When Heero had shown up, Duo couldn't say he was completely surprised.  
  
Duo had sensed a strange mind sniffing around his defences. Unfamiliar to him, he had forced himself to strengthen his barriers. Shinigami hadn't prevented that, seeing as that would only help him in the long run if no one could enter, and in fact had relaxed his restraint around Duo in order to let him do it. That same lax of restraint had been enough to let Duo allow Heero access to his mind - when he'd felt that strong, familiar, reassuring presence on the fringes of his consciousness, he had dropped a part of his shield instantly, implicitly trusting the probing aura that was his partner.  
  
Still - with Shinigami in control, this wasn't exactly the safest place to be.  
  
' Listen to me,' he thought with a hint of disgust. ' I've turned into a fucking schitzo.'  
  
" H-Heero?" he asked, rubbing the side of his face, almost hesitantly. " What's going on?"  
  
He had an idea of course - the way Shinigami and Heero were shooting sparks at each other, he knew that there was only one way a confrontation between them could end: in violence. Much as he wanted to see Shinigami obliterated, his scattered thoughts were solidifying back together and he had reached the conclusion that since Shinigami was a part of himself, killing him couldn't be a good thing.  
  
He thought.  
  
" Heero!" he called out, watching as the Perfect Soldier's fists clenched. " Don't kill him!"  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero couldn't believe what he was hearing. Duo didn't want him to kill the crazy, scythe-wielding maniac that was currently walking on air?  
  
' Patience,' he told himself. ' He must have a good reason.'  
  
Shinigami suddenly struck out again with the scythe. Heero leaned back quickly, a whoosh of air marking the blade's passing, missing the Japanese pilots chest by inches. Shinigami then sat back again, cackling dementedly, feral gaze focused on him. Heero growled.  
  
' He'd *better* have a good reason.'  
  
    
  
   
  
Jean looked nervously at the professor before turning back to look at the two forms on the bed. Duo still lay there serenely, lax features making him look younger, and more child-like then he really was. Once again, her eyes tracked to his temple where a small scar remained, the only hint to the horror that had been inflicted upon him.  
  
After being locked out of Duo's mind, she had wasted her energy in futile, trying to find a way in without forcibly destroying the barrier keeping her out. Finding no weakness in the shield that she could detect, she had reluctantly left Duo's mind, re-awakening in the corporeal world. Professor Xavier had given her a small, but worried smile, silently reassuring her with nothing more then a warm feeling at the back of her skull, that she had done all she could do without resorting to methods that would cause lasting damage. That didn't help much, especially as she took in the still form next to the American pilot.  
  
Heero Yuy lay stretched out on the bed next to his partner, the ever- present scowl missing from his face. Even though Heero had spent a good deal of the time wearing a blank mask, there had always been an underlying force behind it, a faint wisp of emotion that was nearly undetectable without either an empathic power like Quatre's, or a strong link like the one that flowed through all of the pilots. Hard to sense, but there, nonetheless. But this...this *emptiness* lacked even that undercurrent, and made Jean shudder from a sudden chill, despite the moderate temperature of the room.  
  
Beast was the first to break the tense silence that had sprung up.  
  
" Can either of you sense what's happening?" he asked, turning to give his EKG machines a cursory glance to see whether or not it was picking up any psychic activity. For all intents and purposes, the boys seemed to be merely sleeping. " Surely his barrier can't be *that* strong."  
  
Professor Xavier shook his head, not taking his eyes off the two before him.  
  
" Not enough to tell you anything concrete, Henry," he said at last. " I can sense two presences, and enough conflicting emotion in there to remind me of Magneto's mind, but I can't tell who's battling who with just a surface scan."  
  
Jean nodded. " The wall is extraordinarily thick - Sinister must have done some upgrades to that controlling device."  
  
" So in essence, we won't know what's happened until one of them wakes up and tells us?" 'If they wake up,' Beast didn't say out loud.  
  
" Correct."  
  
    
  
   
  
Quatre looked up from where he was sitting with Trowa in the kitchen. Wufei and Jubilee were still comparing battle experience - Jubilee *paffing* a few strands of Wufei's hair to make a point about a girl's strength in battle - and Trowa was smirking at the two of them, but Quatre suddenly didn't care about what topic they had progressed to. He closed his eyes, feeling that familiar twinge starting up again, and he reached with one hand to rub his chest, as though that simple action could alleviate the slowly building pain there.  
  
Trowa noticed his slight action and twin bolts of green pinned Quatre in place as concern replaced the amusement. " Quatre?"  
  
" I don't know," Quatre responded to the unasked question. " It's...kinda like before...but not the same."  
  
Jubilee looked up from her diagram she was drawing for Wufei about one of her favorite strategic manoeuvres.  
  
" Yer' probably feeling the effects of Jeannie's trip into Duo's mind," she remarked off-hand. She could have thrown a hand grenade at the table and not have gotten a more dramatic reaction.  
  
" Duo's mind?" Quatre echoed, standing up abruptly. " She's going into his mind?"  
  
Jubilee blinked at this reaction. " Well, yeah - that was on her schedule of things to do when your friend was stabilized."  
  
" I thought she was helping Beast remove the implant," Wufei demanded. He'd seen the effect of Quatre on the receiving end of Duo's mental demons - it was not something he wanted to repeat. " When were they planning on telling us this?"  
  
" Probably after they fixed 'im up and had him back to his old self," Jubilee shrugged. " I mean come on - you were in the room ya know. You saw what kinda mind set Duo had - he's a killer! They're gonna return him to normal before they let him loose."  
  
It was sound reasoning, but Quatre didn't like it. He especially didn't like the way Jubilee called Duo a killer.  
  
" You realize, we're all killers, don't you?" he pointed out to the mutant girl. Jubilee blinked again.  
  
" I know you guys were in a war," she said calmly. " But that's different - you killed because in war, that's what happens. I understand that."  
  
" So why single Duo out?"  
  
" Because it wasn't you that slaughtered a warehouse full of innocent, homeless people, and laughed while you did it."  
  
That frank statement hung in the air, nearly tangible in its intensity. Wufei muffled the growl that rose up in his throat even as he realized Jubilee was right. Trowa's expression didn't change, but he did move slightly closer to his blonde partner, as though sensing his increase in distress. Quatre's hands were folded on the table, but if you looked closely, you could see the faint trembling.  
  
" She's right," he spoke at last in a deceptively calm voice. Then he addressed the Chinese girl directly. " So they're going into his mind to see if he's still under the influence of whatever Sinister did?"  
  
Jubilee nodded, well familiar with what was happening. She sighed mentally - she had seen this too many times before. Call it what you want: possession, mental override, taking a new host, mind-eaters, telepaths, anything dealing with the Shadow-King - the result was always the same. Someone had to go in and determine whether or not the person you once called a friend, was still there, or if they had turned into something that had to be taken care of. Permanently. She sighed again - suddenly, she felt very old.  
  
" Why don't they just remove the device in his head?" Wufei asked, puzzled by this lack of action, which to him, seemed the most logical thing to do. " Surely that would end all of this?"  
  
" It's kinda hard to explain," Jubilee hedged, knowing that she lacked sufficient medical-mental knowledge to explain it to someone who had never experience first-hand the effects psychic control could leave on the victim. It was akin to trying to explain colour to a man who'd been blind since birth - if you had never experienced it, it was very hard to grasp the concept. Even Quatre had only a mild form of empathy, from what she understood, and that wasn't enough to take someone's mind over. " I think Beastie-boy could do it better."  
  
Trowa nodded, and stood next to Quatre. Wufei rose as well and indicated to Jubilee that she should lead them back to Beast. She rose an eyebrow at this.  
  
" Why do you want ME to go first?"  
  
All three boys looked at each other and blanched slightly. A faint blush rose on Wufei's face as he cleared his throat.  
  
" 'Cause we're not completely sure we remember the exact location of the sickbay." He scowled. " You have far more sub-levels in this 'school' then any Oz base I've had to sneak into."  
  
To Jubilee's credit, she didn't burst out laughing at this admission. Rather, she nodded and turned, leading the three boys out of the room. All the while, the grin never left her face.  
  
    
  
TBC...  
  
Feedback onegai! I *love* hearing any and all opinions!!!  
  
  
  
1.2.2 Part 8C  
  
   
  
The subconscious is a dangerous thing, Heero decided firmly as he dodged another swipe by the laughing lunatic, cursing as he stumbled. "Shit!"  
  
"Such language!" Shinigami scolded him in a high-falsetto voice. His wiry arms raised and the scythe flashed red in the murkiness that was Duo's mind. "You should be punished!"  
  
"Not fuckin' likely!" Heero growled. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder at Duo who was watching them, shock in his wide eyes. No help there. Sudden movement caught his attention and he ducked again, listening to the hiss of metal slicing through the air. Hitting the pseudo-ground, he rolled away from Shinigami and came to his feet in a crouch.  
  
Across from him, the devil wearing Duo's face giggled with amusement.  
  
"You know, this really is entertaining!" the boy sneered. "I should have busted free a long time ago!"  
  
Heero growled deep in his throat and spared Duo a quick glance. The braided American was watching the two of them, eyes darting back and forth, abject terror stamped across his face. Heero swore. No help there.  
  
    
  
   
  
Duo bit back a whimper as Shinigami's scythe came within a hairs- breadth of slicing Heero's chest open. The Japanese rolled to his feet a small distance away, gaining some breathing room and Duo sighed with relief.  
  
He couldn't understand it, couldn't explain the paralysing fear that seemed to grip him. Why? Why was he so afraid? Violence, pain, blood - it was nothing he hadn't seen before. He should be helping his partner!  
  
With that thought, Duo pushed himself slowly up. Before he could get to his feet completely though, Shinigami whirled around with a murderous statement on his face, scaring the daylights out of Duo.  
  
"Stay out of this!" the blood-soaked apparition snarled at him, and for a minute, Duo saw claws springing out of his hands, fangs jetting out of the slanted mouth. He crashed to the ground, his knees completely giving way. With a grunt and a sneer, Shinigami turned away and Duo felt the mindless panic dissipate. 'What the...'  
  
    
  
   
  
Heero blinked as he watched an odd statement flit across Shinigami's face before the doppelganger whirled around to shout at Duo. That hadn't been.... fear, was it?  
  
He had seen something on Duo's face - a fraction of the resolve the American used to be full of, but it had been there. He had been about to help him. What stopped him?  
  
Fear. Heero stopped short. That had been fear on Shinigami's face when Duo had started to stand up. Duo had been about to join the fight, and his evil counterpart had known that. That was it. Shinigami was afraid of Duo!  
  
"Help me Duo!" he shouted. "He's scared of you!"  
  
The look of pure rage on Shinigami's face made even the perfect soldier back up a step.  
  
"Shut up!" he screeched and lunged across the short distance, scythe twirling like a baton in his skilled hands. "I'LL KILL YOU!!"  
  
"ARGH!" Heero didn't move nearly fast enough and Shinigami's blade slashed across his raised forearm. It was only a glancing blow, but the razor- sharpness dug through the outer skin like butter and Heero cried out, blood suddenly pouring down his arm.  
  
' Too slow!' Heero shouted at himself as he braced himself against the searing pain in his arm. 'Dammit!'  
  
"Say goodnight Gracie," Shinigami remarked, almost absurdly casually, and raised the deadly weapon high above his head in preparation for the final blow. Heero closed his eyes.  
  
"NO!"  
  
    
  
   
  
Duo screwed up the last remains of his waning courage and leaped to his feet. In his eyes he saw the blood coursing out of his partner, and with that image came the realization that it was his fault. Heero was going to die because of him. He shook his head angrily.  
  
"NO!"  
  
With a howl, Duo launched himself at his evil twin, knocking him away from Heero. The scythe was struck from Shinigami's hands and it skittered across the floor, near Heero who eyed it nervously before looking back up.  
  
It was odd to say the least. Duo looked like he was fighting himself in a mirror, the deadliest shadowboxing match in history. The two jockeyed for position, rolling across the ground, gaining even further distance away from the Japanese pilot who stood up shakily, clutching his torn arm in an effort to stem the bleeding.  
  
"But this isn't real," he muttered softly, watching the two Duo's fight for control. "What will happen when one of them wins?"  
  
    
  
   
  
"BEAST!"  
  
Hank jumped to his feet and whirled away from the computer monitor at the cry from the other side of the room. Jean was on her feet, staring at Heero, hand clapped to her mouth in horror. The Professor motioned him over quickly, and with a bound, the blue-furred man was at the bed. He gasped.  
  
A deep slash mark had formed on Heero's arm and the Japanese boy was losing blood at an alarming rate. Jean regained her senses and clamped her hands on Heero's arm, trying to stem the flow of blood while Hank rushed back across the room for his medical kit.  
  
The Professor closed his eyes, searching.  
  
"Charles?" Jean asked, the strain evident in her voice.  
  
After a moment, Professor X opened his eyes and shook his head.  
  
"Nothing. It's like going up against a sheer smooth cliff and trying to climb it with your bare hands," he said, teeth gritted in both exertion and frustration. "There is a definite upgrade in what Sinister did to this boy - Morph is infinitely easier to read."  
  
"Well, something's happening," Beast said tersely, pointing out the obvious. Gently disentangling Jean's hands, he set about cleaning the gash and began sewing it up. As he did so, Jean once again let out a gasp of surprise. "Look!"  
  
Beast and the Professor looked over at the flushed face of Duo Maxwell, and saw sweat beading on his face. His muscles suddenly pulled tight with some unknown tension and Jean made her decision.  
  
"I'm going in Professor," she said. Charles looked up at her determined face.  
  
"Jean, you can't get past that barrier!"  
  
"I can if I shatter it," she replied smoothly. Charles slammed his fist down on the night stand next to the bed, inches from his golden hover chair.  
  
"Jean, you could KILL him!"  
  
"He's going to kill Heero!" she countered fiercely. "Charles, you still don't have enough strength to break that shield of his without doing a lot of residual damage - but I might be able to!"  
  
"Jean, going in there, is not only dangerous for him, but for Heero and you as well!" Charles fingers flexed in agitation. "You could render that boy a vegetable for the rest of his life!"  
  
"Sir, I can't sit here and do NOTHING!" she cried. The redhead stood up and walked over to the professor, kneeling before him. "Sir, trust me! I have the strength to do this! And I have your training to guide me!" She gestured to the wound that Hank was trying in vain to staunch. " There is a battle being fought in there, with an innocent who doesn't know the first thing about the astral plain! Maybe I can help stop whatever is happening!"  
  
Charles looked down. His hands trembled as he pondered her words and realized they had no choice. They'd lose them both if something wasn't done. Jean felt the resignation sweeping over him and she placed her smaller hand on top of the man's who had been like a father to her.  
  
"Jean?" Another voice cut through the tension in the room. Jean looked back to where her husband was watching, neck muscles tense as he waited.  
  
"I'm doing this Scott," she said calmly, standing up. Scott said nothing but nodded and walked towards her, pulling her into a fierce hug.  
  
"Be careful."  
  
"I always am, Mr. Summers," she smiled gently at him. With her husband's arms still around her, she closed her eyes, trusting Scott to catch her, and detached herself from her earthly body.  
  
Scott caught her and scooped her into his arms as he felt their bond weaken almost immediately.  
  
"Be careful my love," he whispered.  
  
The infirmary door flew open again, and a gaggle of teenagers piled through. Quatre immediately zeroed in on Heero and he gasped at the sight of blood. Wufei and Trowa stared at everyone in confusion, noting the tense looks.  
  
Behind them all, Jubilee snapped her gum as she surveyed the wounded Heero, the tense professor and the unconscious Jean held in Cyclops' arms.  
  
"Figures," she snorted. "So what'd we miss this time?"  
  
    
  
TBC......  
  
Stormy 


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9A 

A familiar chill greeted her astral body as she materialized on the outer plane of existence.

Jean opened her eyes, once again inside Duo's mind - once again on the outside as well. The reddish wall glowed faintly as she approached it, clearly warning her to stay away, and she lay one hand on it gently, opening her mind. What she felt made her gasp.

Fear, pain, and confusion assaulted her senses, seeming to both blind and deafen her with an emotional backlash that left her shaking and she drew back in shock. Something was definitely wrong and she grit her teeth, scanning as hard as she dared, delving into the young man's mind with all the control she had spent a lifetime honing. Wisps of images flowed past her field of vision, bouncing off her proverbial third eye, bombarding her with unfamiliar sights and memories of Duo's past. She could recognize Heero, Duo - and Shinigami. Her brow furrowed slightly as she absorbed this bit of information.

For there to be three identities, that meant somehow, Duo's altered personality had become its own sentient being, with its own thoughts. Made up from Duo's own fragmented thoughts, but still its own entity, this posed a problem she hadn't foreseen. Jean thought back to when the X-Men had to deal with Morph and couldn't recall there ever being another conscious mind within the young man.

_Somehow, Sinister's upgraded his software_, she thought wryly. If Duo's evil side, for lack of a better term, was actually a separate being, then the danger was greater then they'd all originally anticipated. Short-term mind jaunts were one thing - long-term residence was something else entirely. The mind was only capable of holding one sentience, and would eventually either assimilate or destroy the interloper. The problem either scenario was that it would tear the layers of the host's mind in half, rendering it incomplete. What did manage to remain would undoubtedly be damaged. Such was the danger of such mutant powers that invoked mental possession. _If one half of Duo's mind destroys the other, they're both finished!_

A similar situation had erupted when Carol Danvers had tried to regain Rogue's body after being trapped within the depths of her mind. Once described as a psychic vampire, the nature of Rogue's powers caused her to steal a person's very soul through any sort of casual or deliberate contact. Prolonged contact sucked the very essence that made up an individual and absorbed it into her own body. When Carol's mind had started fighting back, trying to take control over Rogue as punishment for ruining her life, leaving her body as a shell and her mind trapped in another's, the professor had sealed her away. Later on, Jean had helped reinforce Carol away in a concrete cage where she couldn't influence Rogue's mind ever again. 

_But that was a case of two completely separate entities_, she thought, racking her brain for a solution that didn't seem to forming. The two had to be separated or Carol could have either completely taken Rogue over, effectively killing the two of them. What do I do when it's one person against himself?

It was a dangerous thing to consider. She couldn't apply the same tactics used against Carol in this situation. If she sealed away a part of Duo, it was akin to taking a piece of what made him Duo. He would never regain that integral part of himself. She snorted. This was of course assuming that he survived having a part of his mind ripped away forever.

Still, she had a couple of ideas. However, to implement them she had to first gain entry into the young man's head. She sighed. Heero had already proven how difficult that was - for her, anyway. The warnings she'd been lectured on about forced entry into a fortified mind reasserted themselves and she took a deep breath, preparing herself.

No time like the present.

In one of the texts the professor made all of his psi-based students read, the author had made a note about how ancient civilizations and customs believed that there was psychic ability in everyone, and that it concentrated in the center of the forehead. That spot on a person's head was supposedly the location of the third eye. When Jean had first become a student at Xavier's, she had been disbelieving of such a disfigurement accompanying her powers. That had all changed when she realized that it was in fact that exact spot that seemed to act as a focus point for her powers. It was the same today. As she calmed herself, finding her center and focusing her mind, she felt her powers condense and she knew without seeing that a light had formed on her face, bathing the astral plane with its luminescence.

Placing both hands on the glowing red wall, she concentrated, pushing out with her mind, sending a pinkish filament of light directly into it. It struck the wall and splattered out to the sides, but she poured it on, focusing her energy into a laser beam of mental power, trying to drill past the barrier. It was useless to try and batter down the entire wall, and even more dangerous for Duo, for whom such walls were a protective measure against other's who would try to exert their will over his with harmful intent. It was better to try and carefully wedge a way through and leave his wall relatively intact.

The beam's pressure was steady, Jean being trained to handle cases like these since she was a teen. It required some degree of exertion but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Slowly but surely, she could see a small opening where her power was focused and she spread a surrounding, lighter beam of power over the wall, to help it maintain its integrity, even as she was drilling through it. The point of entry seemed to struggle against her, Duo's own subconscious defences still attempting to protect him from outside interference and she increased her power in small increments, carefully monitoring the rest of his shield for any signs of collapse. The hole widened.

Now!

Jean threw herself forward, shielding herself as she went. She felt Duo's barriers try and close in on her, trap her, desperate to keep her from reaching the core. The feeling was like trying to wade through waist deep quicksand, grasping at her unearthly form and trying to keep her from completing her mission. She focused outward; giving a short burst of power that managed to repel them just enough to emerge on the other side, popping free. The pressure instantly lifted, and she collapsed, her knees giving way under the strain. If she had just barrelled through, it would have taken less energy but the damage would have been irreparable, and she took a second to give herself a congratulatory pat on the back. Then the severity of the situation reasserted itself and she straightened. 

Never mind - you got through. Now get to work.

Sounds of battle suddenly assaulted her ears and she looked up, blinking as she took in the scene ahead of her.

It's a war zone!!

Keen senses picked up on the action instantly. Across from her, she could see Heero's astral body leaning up against a damaged wall of some sort, psychic bruises blossoming all over his body in shades of yellow, purple and brown. He looked like he'd been put through a wrecking machine, battered as he was. He was staring at the battle directly across from him, and she followed his gaze to what appeared to be the cause.

Two boys, nearly identical in every way, hammered away at each other, fists rocking heads back, legs being swept out from underneath. The sheer ferocity with which they fought nearly made her nauseous. The snarling emanating from the two of them reminded her of the sound of a rabid wolf and she reflected that the savagery on display in front of her was no less deadly. She made herself look past the imagery and scrutinized the combatants. 

Which one was Shinigami?

Jean watched the two carefully as she gingerly made her over to Heero, who was panting with exertion as he tried to stay upright. Blood was still gushing from his failed attempt to stop the wound in his forearm, and the rattle in his lungs told her his breathing problems were most likely the result of broken ribs. Maybe even a punctured lung. She winced – taking damage to an astral body was the same as if you'd been fighting in your earthly form. It was why she herself was currently covered in her own suit of armour that she'd designed for such jaunts as these. She paused by the Japanese boy just as he stumbled, catching his arm and keeping him upright.

"Heero!"

"Jean?" Heero's head snapped around and met her eyes in shock, blue irises widening. " H-How did you--"

"Never mind! Which one is Duo?" Jean slid under his arm, helping the boy stand, wrapping her own arm around his waist for additional support. Unused to such compassion, she could feel his tension rise a notch at the close contact before giving up and subsequently giving in, allowing her to keep her arm where it was. Heero then pointed at the scuffling bodies, noticing her confusion as she returned her gaze to the battling warriors.

"That's Duo." 

Jean watched and saw the desperate fury on one of the two and knew instantly. She could feel homicidal intent flowing over her like a drenching downpour from his opponent. The raw anger battered her already frayed nerves. She could tell that the two of them were growing steadily weaker as each of them unknowingly drew upon the same reserves to beat each other into a bloody pulp. The source of those reserves was dwindling rapidly, she could tell. They were running out of time.

"This has got to stop!" she cried frantically. Never before had she seen such a war waged on this plane. She looked at Heero quickly, judging his ability to help her, battered as he was. She didn't want to hurt him more. Heero caught her staring and straightened automatically, dropping her arm from him as though he were ashamed to admit he had needed help. Strength seemed to pour back into him, as though he was drawing energy from some untapped internal reservoir, and she marvelled at his recuperative powers. An untrained mind lasting as long as he was in someone else's head...she shook her head again and grinned humourlessly. She didn't like it, but at the same time, she was glad these kids had such a hard past history. While stripping away their childhood, it had at least replaced it with an inner toughness that could only be bred by the harsh realities of life. Heero nodded and faced the two combatants, squaring his shoulders, looking every inch the Perfect Soldier he was reputed to be.

" What do you want me to do?"

" We wait."

* * *

Duo snarled and slammed his fist into his double's face over and over, trying to slake his nearly incapacitating rage by crushing every bone in his double's face. Screams of innocents rang in his ears; crying, shouting, panicking, dying, dead faces of bloody carcasses hovering in his range of vision, asking him why he did it. Why he had killed them. Why? WHY?

"NOT ME!" he growled desperately, reaching down and hauling Shinigami to his feet. "It wasn't ME!" He shouted it as though the louder he did, the more likely some kind of absolution for what his traitorous mind had done would be bestowed upon him. He hurled Shinigami across the 'room' and watched him strike the ground with a harsh thud, skidding slightly and coming to a stop on the fringes of his mind. Abruptly, he felt a burst of pain explode somewhere inside him, shredding at him, twisting his very being until he screamed and gasped, doubling over.

The longer the fight continued, the worse he felt. Even though Shinigami had landed a few decent blows, he was doing most of the damage so it made no sense. Shinigami should be the one fighting to keep the blood from vomiting between clenched lips. Why was he in more pain? 

Heero. Heero is trapped in here with that lunatic - I HAVE to win! Duo straightened, wiping blood from his mouth. He pushed aside his questions to deal with later, and tried to regain his focus. He was learning that mind games or no mind games, blows and injuries suffered here felt just as real. Painful.

I have to beat him. What he did…

An image of a blond-haired boy with white eyes struck him and he cried out furiously as he remembered exactly what had happened, what Shinigami had made him do.

The flash of light playing over razor-sharp metal as it struck true, the feeling of warm blood running over his hands, the light fading in those sightless eyes, the emptiness replacing what was once life... The rage continued to bubble up within him, filling his limbs with renewed vigour and he lashed out again, battering the dreamscape with a wave of power unleashed.

"You MONSTER!"

His throat was raw from screaming. He started towards the shaking form on the ground, thinking to throttle the clone with his bare hands and then froze. Something was wrong. His played over the sprawled figure, uncaring, trying to discern the source of his discontent and then it hit him. 

Sound.

Sound was drifting up from the black-clad figure and he strained his ears, trying to understand, determined to hear what it was.

Laughter. It was laughter. Harsh, thinly veiled and nearly hysterical, the bastard was LAUGHING at him.

His vision was eclipsed in shades of red as the rage rose up again. About to tear the demon to shreds, Shinigami raised his head and let loose another demented howl of laughter, tears of mirth streaming down his damaged face. It was almost more then Duo could bear.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING AT??" Duo screamed, nearly incoherent with rage.

"T-That's it!" Shinigami giggled madly, his flashing with an internal madness. His fingers clenched spasmodically, one hand pounding into the ground, punctuating each cackle. Each thud echoed in Duo's ears. "Give in!" He flashed a v-sign at the trembling Duo. "Isn't it WONDERFUL?"

This wasn't right. Duo felt rage being replaced by confusion and he took a step back, staring. "What the HELL are you talking about?"

Shinigami chortled and rose to his feet, somewhat unsteadily. "You know what I mean," he said, licking his lips provocatively. "The anger...the rage...the hatred. I can feel it. I can TASTE it. So can you." He stepped towards Duo, eyes still grinning, shining with a type of lunacy that sickened the Deathscythe pilot. "Doesn't it feel good?" His eyes gleamed predatorily. " Doesn't it feel free? It's pure. It's us."

Icy fear gripped Duo's entrails, his heart leaping up into his throat, nearly suffocating him in the all-encompassing fear that swept over him like a tidal wave.

"S-Stay away from me!" Duo choked out. The battle lust was suddenly under attack, leaving him, draining away with each step that Shinigami took towards him. He backed up again, watching with wide, scared eyes as the blood-soaked spawn of Sinister advanced towards him. "What do you want from me?"

"The same as you..." came the soft hissing whisper, words rasping out of the amused doppelganger's mouth. The twisted words spewing forth from that mocking clone made him sick. "The rage feels good, feels right. It's what kept us alive when Solo died, when Father Maxwell and Sister Helen died. That rage has always fuelled our will to survive, the need for revenge was and is our reason to go on in this pathetic excuse for a life. Admit it. Give in to it." The demon smiled again, cocking its head to one side, flicking a small spray off blood off the ruddy tresses and onto the ground. "I did."

"You're me," Duo gasped, shaking his head negatively. " I never wanted to become who I am!"

"You're lyyyyyy-iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnggg!!" Shinigami sing-songed mockingly, continuing his slow advance. "Lies...lies... good little boys don't lie..."

"Shut up." Duo squeezed his eyes shut, fingers clenching and unclenching. His face was an alarming shade of pasty white." Just shut up."

"Let me take over," Shinigami said softly, soothingly. A deceptive calm that tried to encourage Duo to give in, offering warmth and security in oblivion. "Sinister helped us in the end. He let me free - let me become my own person. I can handle the pain - I can return it tenfold." Purple eyes flashed with a promise of death and destruction. "Just let go."

Could it really be that simple? Duo's head shook back and forth in denial, eyes wide but unblinking in the face of such a tempting offer. He couldn't. He wouldn't. Too much was at stake. But the offer was a haven; and a dark part of his mind where he wouldn't have to live with the pain and repercussions of his body's actions mewled minutely at him to consider it. A small part of him wondered of he should just give up. In winning he'd have to live with what he did. He was so tired...

Heero...

Blackness wavered on the edge of his vision, and he felt his knees give way as the small seed of doubt proved to be the opening of weakness that Shinigami needed. Energy seemed to wilt away from him, leeched away by his clone. Sinking to the ground slowly, he opened his eyes to see the look of pure malice on his twin's face and knew he didn't have the strength to fight him off anymore.

" H-Heero?"

Shinigami leaned in, hands outstretched and eager to wrap around that slender little neck. Suddenly, an enormous surge of energy blasted him from behind, flinging him away from Duo and into a wall that manifested out of nowhere. The air crackled and sparked as pure psionic waves continued to slam into him, pulsing in time to his own heartbeat. His own power suddenly waning, Shinigami fought to pull himself up, bracing his hands against the near transparent `ground', small cuts appearing all over his body. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs, glaring at his attackers.

Jean stood there confidently, pinkish fire burning like hellfire in her tightly clenched fist. A strained but determined expression dictated her entire stance as her muscles tensed in preparation for a returned attack. Beside her, Heero scrambled down to Duo's side, hastily checking his partner for serious injuries. There were a few deep welts and bruises and hot spatters of blood decorated the heart-shaped features that defined Duo Maxwell, but there didn't seem to be anything too serious. Heero then stood, automatically placing himself between Duo and Shinigami, his move radiating his intense desire to protect the braided one from any additional harm. 

Shinigami wasn't pleased. The devilish-looking boy hissed angrily but Heero smirked, unfazed by the malice aimed at him. His hands clenched, fisted knuckles turning white from the strain, his nails cutting half-moons into his skin.

He spoke quietly in a tone that brooked no argument, fierce and determined.

"No more."

Shinigami was incensed at the sheer audacity.

"You can't stop me!" Shinigami snarled. "Sinister brought me to life - I am stronger then he'll ever be!" He began stalking the Japanese pilot, murderous intent seeping off of him in roiling waves, eager to prove his words. His hands morphed into outstretched claws, and the escaping strands of blood-covered hair from his braid seemed to gain a life of their own, slinking and slithering around him in a grisly parody of Medusa and her snakes. Heero remained unmoving, steadfast in his vow to protect the American. Then a voice cut through the tension like a knife, drawing their attention.

"You're wrong!" Jean's commanding voice rang out, halting Shinigami in his tracks.

* * *

Jean was getting tired of this. The death, the blood, the violence; all of it was wearing on her nerves, and she could feel Duo's subconscious mind wavering in its fight. It was taking all of Duo's energy to remain awake enough to keep Shinigami from winning, but the sheer output of power was extremely taxing. 

Heero and Shinigami's showdown played out in front of her. It was nearly overwhelming, the hatred on display. 

I never knew there could be such darkness in someone, she thought sadly.

With every individual, there was a light that shone from the inside out. It was what made you who you were, what made a person greet the morning with a smile for the day, and hope for the future. It was that light within that the X-men had devoted their lives to protecting – the innocence, the happiness that made life worth living.

Sadly though, like every physical light, it could be extinguished. Sometimes there was just no saving a person; sometimes pain, guilt, fear, destitution, depression all contributed to the snuff that inner spark, leaving behind a hostile, paranoid and introverted shell of what it once was. It was something Jean had seen all too many times in her career with the X-men – even more so with having empathic abilities that allowed her to strip away the outer layer and see what lay beneath.

A part of her wanted to place the blame for such carnage squarely on the hands of Sinister but her study of Morph's file told her that a large part of what made up Shinigami was the darkness that resided within the braided boy. She could understand it though – having learned that all of the boys trapped in this dimension had been training for and fighting in a brutal war for most of their childhood left her with no doubt that angry demons such as Shinigami dwelled within the innermost recesses of their minds. This wasn't a foe that she could obliterate with a sweep of her hand, and expect everything to fall out okay. This required inner strength. Duo had to fight back, and it looked like he was losing.

The despair seemed to be eating away at the very core of his power. Boosted though it was by Sinister's implant, she could feel the weariness filtering through Duo's shields, and it made her want to weep in sympathy. 

" I'm stronger then he'll ever be!"

Jean's head snapped back up at the shout, and her eyes narrowed as she took in the speaker. Shinigami's confidence looked to be repairing itself at an alarming rate, and she mentally growled. The arrogance of the mind-demon was wearing on her very last nerve and with that thought, a plan struck her and she knew what to do. But first, she had to get their attention. She took a deep breath.

"You're wrong!" she shouted. Shinigami stopped circling Heero and his charge, and the two of them looked at her, one in shock, the other with surprise. 

Well, she thought, a trifle smugly. That got their attention. She squared her shoulders, looking Shinigami straight in the eyes.

"You've had your fun, demon," she said firmly. "But I've had enough of this. This game ends now."

Ignoring the mocking laughter of Duo's evil twin, she sent a thread of power into Duo's inert form.

_:: Duo ::_ she sent, searching for the spark that made up Duo.

_:: .... ::_

_:: Duo, wake up.::_

_:: J-Jean ... ::_

Hearing the weak response made Jean's heart soar, and she then turned her gaze back to Shinigami.

_:: I need your help Duo. I'll help you fight him, but you have to fight too. He's winning because you're giving up. Don't let him beat you! ::_

_:: Too strong ... ::_

_:: Duo!::_ Jean's mental voice shouted and she gave a grim smile of satisfaction when it startled Duo into coherency. _:: He is NOT stronger then you! You can't think that way!:: _A thought occurred to her and she sent her next thought with a little more urgency. _:: If he wins, he'll hurt Heero.::_

_:: .... Heero?::_

_:: Who do you think is protecting you right now? ::_

Jean nearly shouted with joy as Duo's eyes opened fractionally, mere slits of violet peering out at her. No, she amended. Past her, locking straight on to Heero's back that was in front of him, shielding him from Shinigami's wrath.

_:: Heero ... ::_

The mental voice in her head was a little stronger and she took that opportunity to fire a shot off at the doppelganger, knocking him off his feet. 

_:: Help me Duo.::_

A sharp intake of breath, and Duo's eyes shot fully open, righteous anger lighting them up with an internal fire. The spark was back. Jean nearly sagged with relief.

* * *

Heero could feel Shinigami trying to drain his energy, even as he focused on Jean. The aching tiredness threatened to swallow him up but he remained on his feet. Jean was speaking to Shingami in authoritative tones.

"You've had your fun demon but I've had enough of this. This game ends now!"

Heero watched the clone start laughing at her challenge and wondered what Jean could possibly be playing at. Then he noticed something, and his eyes narrowed. It was a testament to Doctor J's dedication to developing the perfect soldier that Heero's enhanced senses picked out the faint glazing of Jean's eyes and the near-indistinguishable glow of light that she sent to the still form of Duo just behind him.

She's doing something…but what?

He held his ground, still wary of an attack but the shock of movement didn't start with Shinigami. 

It came from behind him.

Heero gasped as Duo suddenly leapt to his feet, eyes flashing, hair swirling around him in a cloak of silk. The multiple cuts and scratches he'd seen had vanished, leaving only smooth, unmarked skin in its place. Those once-laughing eyes held only cold fire, blazing with an intensity that made the Japanese pilot back up a step in confusion. He had never seen such a look from Duo in all the years they'd been partnered together. Duo glanced at him briefly, and for a minute, Heero thought his heart would stop at the ferociousness evident therein. 

Then a short warm wave of energy, familiar, friendly, washed over him and he recognized it as a subtle attempt from Duo to calm him. He nearly smiled as Duo nodded once in satisfaction and turned back to Shinigami.

"Jean has it right," he said in steely tones. "This game ends now."

* * *

TBC

Feedback please??


	10. Chapter 10

May 31, 2002  
  
Well, this was a long time in coming, wasn't it? ^^ I finally had a burst of inspiration, that actually stemmed from a brief conversation I had with Blue Lemming nearly a year ago that I thought of when I was going through my fics. I had nothing else to do at work so I spent 3 hours writing a letter to myself through my work email because I don't have a word processor, and then spent 2 hours cleaning it up at home this morning.  
  
This chapter is dedicated to everyone whose read it up to this point and has emailed me for a continuation. I apologize for the lengthy delay, but if it comes down to a quick but crappy chapter, or a long break followed by something I'm happy with, take a wild stab in the dark which path I'm going to follow.  
  
Also, Heart of Darkness won its first award! Check out my awards page at my site for the cool custom graphic Kosmo Star made me for it! It's so perfect!  
  
Here's hoping you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
  
--Stormy  
  
  
  
Into The Heart of Darkness  
  
Chapter 10  
  
  
  
  
  
Quatre rubbed his chest fitfully, unable to completely suppress the slight wince that crossed his face. The pain he was feeling was muted, thankfully; he had no doubts at all that it could be so much worse if not for Jean's filter still firmly in place. Beside him, Trowa stood silently, an ever- solid presence that the Arabian took comfort in, even if it was just from a slight squeeze of their clasped hands.  
  
He took in the still forms lying on the medical beds before him. Duo's normally animated face was tense, the muscles ticking with suppressed emotion as he fought on a plain Quatre was unable to follow. Or was he? The Arabian took stock of the situation, surveying the room again. Heero lay on the bed next to Duo, the gash in his arm that had spontaneously appeared out of nowhere, skilfully stitched up by Doctor McCoy. Cyclops stood next to the two beds holding his wife in his arms stoically, not showing even the slightest bit of fatigue even though he'd been holding her for nearly an hour now. Jean lay cradled in his embrace, resembling a limp puppet, whose strings had been cut. Her hair tumbled over the curve of Scott's arm, her hand splayed against his chest in a subconscious gesture of love and trust.  
  
Across from him, also staring intently at the bed and its 'sleeping' occupants, Charles Xavier's hands rubbed his temples as he closed his eyes to attempt yet another scan, only to open them again with a frustrated expression. Quatre knew the man could enter Duo's mind at will but was unwilling to risk doing permanent damage to the Shinigami pilot. His chest twinged again.  
  
Wufei stood by the door, a watchful sentry standing guard over his downed troops. His face was expressionless but Quatre knew the Chinese pilot better then that. Beneath the mask of calm was a churning ocean of emotion, roiling and roaring to be set loose. Wufei's incredible self-control kept his impatience in check however, and as Quatre focused on the black-haired boy, he sent a warm wave of calm and reassurance that made Wufei look up, a small smile appearing on his face before he sent back a wordless thank you that warmed Quatre's heart. Beside Wufei, Jubilee sat on the floor, her back against the wall and her knees drawn up. She knew what they were going through, Quatre thought, remembering her passionate outburst earlier, and he was grateful for the silent support she was showing them. It had to be painful for her to relive some of her most horrifying nightmares, but she did so anyway. That took a great deal of courage and strength. Both qualities Wufei respected above any other save honour, and Quatre had no doubt Jubilee had a fair share of that as well.  
  
Doctor McCoy was fiddling with his machines again, adjusting the knobs and dials as though they would make any difference even though his actions had changed nothing. Quatre sympathized with him. As Jubilee had to face her fears, so to did the doctor have to realize his limitations and come to terms with the fact that he had done all he could do. It was up to Heero and Duo and Jean now, and they had no way of helping them.  
  
Or did they?  
  
Quatre rubbed his chest yet again, feeling the connection between himself and the pilots stretched out like an elastic cord. Where he could sense Trowa and Wufei's presence like two beacons of warm light, Heero and Duo seemed to be cut off into a veil of dark and cold. But if he could breach that...  
  
Quatre closed his eyes as he focused....  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
" This ends now."  
  
Heero would have shivered at the cold, deadly tone coming out of Duo's mouth had such emotional responses not been such a chore for him. Despite Duo's brief attempt to reassure him, it still felt wrong. Even during some of their worst battles against Oz, Duo's voice had never sounded so...evil. He sounded very much like the doppelgangers they were trying to eliminate. Sort of. Heero again recalled Duo's plea to spare the clone's 'life' and suppressed a growl of agitation.  
  
Duo, amazingly, had risen up from behind him, slipping in front of him like a ghost in time to deflect what would have been a killing strike from Shinigami and forcing his twin to move back a bit, giving Heero some much- needed breathing room.  
  
" Duo?"  
  
He stepped forward only to be pulled back by slender, golden-gloved fingers gripping the back of his tank top. Jean's weary face greeted him as he turned with a start. She nodded at the two combatants who stared at each other silently for a few seconds before launching themselves at each other, fists flying.  
  
" He has to do this himself, Heero!"  
  
Heero snarled and wrenched his shoulder free of her grip, but he made no move towards the duellists. One thing he was coming to learn was that he was painfully out of his league, and that he'd be better off following the telepath's lead. His fists clenched and unclenched with suppressed tension.  
  
It was like watching a mirror, he decided.  A twisted parody come to life, mimicking Duo's fighting style to the letter. A fist shot forward only to be blocked. A return kick was grabbed in mid air and flung away. Blows designed to be deadly never made their mark. A stalemate.  
  
Heero remembered Jean's warning but found his level of nervous energy rising with each passing second. There had to be something he could do.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Duo dropped to the ground, letting Shinigami's swipe with his scythe he had materialized pass mere inches above his head. The doppelganger crowed with laughter, dark eyes flashing with sadistic delight.  
  
" You can do better then this!" he encouraged, bringing the blade back around for another pass. " You're me after all!"  
  
I am NOT you!Duo snarled at the thought of being anything like that twisted killer. The very idea that he could delight in such torment and death was ludicrous! It was unnatural, simply untrue.  
  
Or was it?  
  
Duo nearly paused as a memory of some Oz base flashed through his mind. He recalled the sheer delight of operating Deathscythe with flawless precision, mowing down a herd of Oz troops like the lead dancer in some grisly ballet. The ecstasy that had flowed through his veins at simply knowing how good he was at his job had been intoxicating. How different was he really from Shinigami?  
  
" Duo, LOOK OUT!"  
  
Heero's voice cut through his daydream and Duo barely got out of the way of Shinigami's follow-up attack. He blocked with his own metal staff, letting his mind conjure up what it needed for defence automatically.  
  
He IS me, Duo thought silently, his eyes wide with realization as he numbly blocked and parried each forward thrust of Shinigami's weapon. He's the part of me that I keep locked away and that's why we're so evenly matched. I can't destroy him because it'd be destroying a part of myself.  
  
So what could he do?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Jean was growing despondent as she watched. Duo was fighting back hard but she still didn't see a way to resolve this without destroying Shinigami. She focused on Duo's face and saw the blank expression. Without hesitation, she scanned his mind, reading his thoughts.  
  
Of course!  
  
:: Duo :: she sent quickly. :: Duo, listen to me…::  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Duo listened as Jean 'invaded' his mind.  
  
:: You need to absorb Shinigami back into yourself :: /iJean said urgently. :: He's a part of you that can't be destroyed. You need him as much as he needs you, even if he doesn't want to realize it! ::  
  
:: Absorb him?:: /iDuo thought incredulously, blocking another shot. :: How the hell do I do that? ::  
  
:: You need to weaken him. His power, his strength, it's all yours! He's taken it all from you! ::  
  
:: So how do I weaken him? ::  
  
:: Take back what you've given him! ::  
  
Duo blinked as sudden realization hit him like a brick. Take it back. Shinigami was a part of him. They were the same. Take it back.  
  
Then he saw it. Almost transparent and possessing an ethereal quality to it, there was a link running between him and Shinigami! Duo's face lit up with a feral grin. It widened when he saw Shinigami falter slightly as he took in what Duo saw, following his eyes to the link with a look of dawning comprehension and horror.  
  
In a flash, Duo had leaped across the small distance separating them,, latching in to Shinigami with animalistic strength. He shut his eyes, reaching out for the connection he'd been too cowed to see before, actively searching it out instead of fearing it.  
  
Shinigami tried to throttle him, all the while twisting and kicking, even biting in his attempts to dislodge the American.  
  
Duo growled and held on to Shinigami, digging his fingers in hard. He wouldn't let go. This had to end. He tried to focus on the unexpected link he found running between them, willing back all the strength and power Shinigami had taken from him. In his haste to deny Shinigami's very existence, Duo had given the doppelganger the very tools he needed to survive, and he was taking them back.  
  
" YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" Shinigami screeched, clawing frantically at Duo, trying to dislodge the American. Sharp talons sprouted from his hands and slashed at Duo's arms. Blood streamed down in torrents but Duo doggedly held on, closing his eyes and concentrating.  
  
This is a part of me, HE is a part of me...I can't deny the blackness in myself but I CAN control it...I WILL control it… Duo opened his eyes, staring into the heated rage of Shinigami. You are me, you can't exist without me and I can't exist without you. But I will control you.  
  
It was hard. He didn't know if he had what it would take to bring Shinigami down to his level but he would try.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Quatre bit his lip as he watched another pained expression flit across Duo's face. The American was struggling, that much was obvious, and he needed help. But though Sandrock and Deathscythe were their battle partners, this was far out of their league. Quatre felt the pain in his chest grow, a reaction his friends distress and he wanted to cry out at the unfairness of it all. Trowa's arms slipped around him.  
  
" Quatre?"  
  
" I want to help them Trowa," Quatre whispered. " I can feel them hurting. Duo's trying so hard and Heero's so worried. But I don't think it's enough."  
  
" You can feel them," Trowa repeated. " They're broadcasting their emotion?"  
  
" Sort of." Quatre furrowed his brow. " My space heart has always let me feel you guys though - it's just like how it was back home, except it's so much stronger here."  
  
" Can you send anything to them?"  
  
Quatre blinked - and then froze. That was it! He was receiving all of Heero's and Duo's emotions through his connection with them - did he have enough power within himself to send his? The more he thought about, the less sure he was. He was no telepath, and if he was an empath like Jean thought he was, he was untrained and could possibly do more harm then good.  
  
Still, he had to try. " I'll see," he said quietly. Closing his eyes, Quatre sought out the link that bonded him to the other pilots. He closed out any other thoughts, thinking only of the times in the past when he had been sure something was wrong with one of the others because he could feel it. Deep inside his space heart he could feel the tiny threads that pulsed gently in time with his own. One of them was in pain. Quatre focused on it, gently reaching out to it. He didn't get far however - something was blocking him. He opened his eyes.  
  
" Duo's blocked me out," he said sadly. " I can feel him, he's in pain. But I can't get through."  
  
But maybe something else could. Quatre closed his eyes again and stopped trying to send himself forward. In his mediations he'd reached some kind of astral plane but that was different - the results of training and self- control. That's where he was having the problem. He was not a telepath that could batter down barriers and he had to remember that.  
  
He focused on his emotions, shutting off the part of his mind that kept trying to form an astral body. He had to send emotion. But how to do it?  
  
Music!  
  
When he played his violin, the music was filled with his emotion. Quatre remembered Duo jokingly saying that he played his heart on his sleeve. That was the trick then.  
  
Quatre thought of a soft, warm melody that he used to play when he was younger. It reminded him of happier days, when his father had taken him horseback riding, or the times his sisters had spent hours playing with him on the immaculately cared-for lawn in front of their estate. The melody spoke of light, of laughter, of family ties. Quatre regarded the Gundam pilots as a part of his family, as near and dear to him as the Maguanacs or his sisters and he now directed that song to Duo. He sang in his mind, unaware that he was swaying slightly in Trowa's arms as he let the imaginary music in his head become real The music sailed down the links to all of them, even Duo, gently infusing the strands rather then trying to knock them down.  
  
He felt Trowa stir slightly as he registered Quatre's touch. Across the room, Wufei's eyes opened and he stared at Quatre in amazement. Quatre smiled, his eyes still closed, revelling in the feel of their emotions. This was it – this was what he could do. His song grew stronger and he tugged at the other strings gently, asking for their help.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Trowa felt Quatre's familiar touch against his heart and knew the blonde had figured out a way to help the American. He felt light, a sense of warmth and the feeling of love and friendship being directed at him, stronger then ever before. Then he felt a small tug and realized what Quatre was asking. Without hesitation, Trowa closed his eyes and focused, sending soothing, comforting thoughts back into the link.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Wufei grunted in surprise as he felt a wave of warm emotion pass over him. He opened his eyes to see Quatre swaying to a rhythm only he could hear and knew somehow the blonde was projecting his emotions. He must be trying to help Duo and Heero, he thought and instantly began sending back his own emotions. The friendship he had with the others, despite his attempts to stay the solitary dragon. The satisfaction and happiness he felt in seeing justice served. His wish to have his 'brother's' returned to him safe and sound. He didn't have any idea of what he was doing but it somehow just felt right to direct these thoughts at Quatre, as though the blonde were soaking up his emotions like a sponge. So he did it, and kept doing it, and hoped that his contribution could help in any way.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Heero watched the struggle taking place before him, feeling completely helpless for the first time in his entire life. The ferocity on display unnerved even his iron control. He didn't know what to do, only that he wanted to help and he couldn't. His fists clenched impossibly tighter, cutting more half-moons into his skin, shallow cuts that bled in thin streams down his palms to drip to the 'ground' below.  
  
Then he felt something. A slight tugging at his soul, it felt like. It was vaguely familiar. Heero closed his eyes for a minute, searching....Quatre?  
  
Quatre's presence was like a golden beacon of light, broadcasting all that he felt for his fellow pilots. Heero was stunned by how much the blonde trusted and respected him when secretly, Heero had thought the very same of him.  
  
I don't know what he's up to but he's obviously trying to help in some way, he thought. With that, he instinctively sent his thoughts back to Quatre, hoping the blonde knew what he was doing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Quatre was so full of emotion he thought he'd burst. Either that, or cry from what he was receiving. He had always known that the other pilots always thought of themselves as family, but years of solitude and training had made them leery of disclosing that information freely. Quatre understood that. But this was not the time for barriers and they all knew it. Quatre took their love, their friendship, and their concern and sang it out as hard as he could in his mind, directing it at Duo with all of his might. The burst of golden energy enveloped the link Quatre had subconsciously marked as 'Duo' and then disappeared inside.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Trowa clutched at Quatre as the Arabian's knees buckled, holding him upright until the boy could regain his footing. " Quatre?"  
  
" I sent it," Quatre said weakly, fingers gripping Trowa's sweater to keep himself balanced. " I sent all that I could to Duo."  
  
" You tried." Trowa said, stroking his blonde hair. " You did all you could."  
  
" I just hope it's enough."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Jean was starting to think that Duo was fighting a losing battle. He had the determination, now that he had decided not to give up, and his feelings for Heero were a powerful motivator, but she didn't think it was enough.  
  
" And my strength is starting to give too," she growled under her breath. She wasn't sure what more there was she could to help.  
  
Then she felt it. A wave of psychic energy was coming towards them and her hands rose instinctively. But it didn't feel threatening - quite the opposite in fact. Jean blinked.  
  
" Quatre?"  
  
Then a ball of light erupted through Duo's barrier, cutting through the wall like it was made of air and striking the two opponents. Jean watched, transfixed.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
Gold light suddenly poured out of Duo's body, bathing the two combatants in an electric glow. Duo felt his own strength returning as he pulled back his energy with invisible fingers, tugging at their link with every ounce of power he could muster. Shinigami's struggles grew desperate; instead of trying to do damage to Duo, the dark avatar began to renew its battle to get away from the pure light that was pulsing around their interlocked forms.  
  
" NO! Let me go!" Shinigami swore and cursed, twisting in Duo's grip like a writhing snake. " You cannot control me! YOU CAN NOT!"  
  
" Can too," Duo gritted out. He could feel it stronger now. His friends were with him. He didn't know how they were doing this but somehow they were sending him their energy and their...Duo's throat tightened as he registered the individual thoughts being sent.  
  
Trowa's calming presence, soothing him, assuring him he had an ally for all time. Quatre's love, as dear a brother to him as any sister. Wufei's determination to have their Duo back, safe and sound, that anything less wouldn't be justice. Heero's trust in his partner, an unwavering belief that Duo could do it and would accept nothing less. Duo grinned, blinking back tears as he felt their emotions swirl through him like a tsunami, drenching his soul in an outpouring of warmth and friendship.  
  
He was no longer afraid or ashamed of the darkness within him. It was a part of him, something that made up the very core of Duo Maxwell. Even if it had been twisted and perverted at the hands of a madman, it was still him, and he was reclaiming himself. Distantly, he felt an added twinge of pain and he remembered faintly that Sinister had put something in his head that had given birth to Shinigami, helped his dark side grow into something alive, and he knew that whatever it was Sinister had planted inside him, was fighting to keep Shinigami alive in him.  
  
" No more!" Angry now, Duo gathered up a few loose tendrils of power, let it grow and then fired it off at some unknown part of his mind, trusting his instincts to guide it to where it needed to go. He screamed as he felt the energy strike its target and something shattered, crumbling away to nothing. Shinigami howled like a dying animal, denying his loss with every last part of him. His struggles weakened and Duo gave a sharp bark of laughter as he felt more of his control returned to him. He pulled harder; ripping at Shinigami's essence, taking back everything his twin had stolen from him.  
  
" This is truly the end," he snarled. It had to be. His friends would never be safe from him if Shinigami pulled loose now, not after helping him. The light gathered around them, surrounding them, infusing Duo with all the power he could ever want or need to destroy his enemy, and he used it. Shinigami gurgled, his eyes widening in shock as he began to fade.  
  
" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" he wailed as he vanished, melting back into Duo, returned to where he belonged. His screams trailed off, the last of his stolen power quickly being sucked up by the American. Duo felt a quick rush of exhilaration as he registered the fact that he had won, that his control had beaten his dark side into submission. It was his victory and he revelled in it, feeling whole and in charge.  
  
But now his strength was fading rapidly, the stress and energy output taking its toll, and his vision swam before him, dark spots dancing at the edges. He turned, half-stumbling to see Heero and Jean Grey still standing there on the sidelines, about to come rushing to his aid, and he held up his hand.  
  
" Get out," he said hoarsely. He didn't know why he had to get them to leave, just that he seemed to be shutting down and that it couldn't possibly be healthy for them to be trapped in his mind when the power cut out. " Get out now."  
  
Jean looked troubled and Heero looked like he was about to come over anyway. Duo growled and raised his hands. " I said GET OUT!" he screamed, and the last vestiges of his power left his hands in a rush, blowing them back against the barrier in his mind. He didn't know if it had knocked them out of his mind completely but it was beyond him to do anything now. Blackness descended swiftly.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
" DUO!"  
  
Heads shot up all around as Heero bolted upright in the medical bed, his eyes wide, his chest heaving like he'd just finished a twenty-kilometer run. His fingers tore deep furrows into the sheets as he clutched at them with white knuckles. Quatre took a step towards him, his own blue eyes wide and blinking in concern.  
  
" Heero?"  
  
Heero's head snapped around so fast Quatre was afraid he'd suffer whiplash. Instead, Prussian eyes focused on him with laser-like intensity. " Quatre?"  
  
" You're okay Heero," Quatre soothed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Trowa and Wufei watching them worriedly. Doctor McCoy was watching too, one hand clutching his stethoscope and Quatre held up a single hand to keep the fuzzy blue doctor where he was. A disoriented Heero was a dangerous Heero. " Remember where you are?"  
  
" In the medlab," Heero recalled, still breathing heavily. He turned his head and saw Cyclops standing at the side of the bed still cradling his wife but watching him with concern. Heero's eyes fell on Jean and his memories returned in a rush. " Duo! He beat Shinigami! And then he blasted us with something..."  
  
His voice trailed off as confusion set in. He turned his head the other way and saw the Professor with one hand on Duo's brow, scanning his mind. Sweat dotted his baldpate as he focused and Heero found himself watching with bated breath.  
  
" Heero?"  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Jean opened her eyes to see her husband staring down at her with a small smile. She couldn't see his eyes behind the protective visor he wore but she knew if she could, his brown eyes would be filled with love and concern for her. She raised one hand to his face, stroking it lightly as she whispered," I'm okay Scott."  
  
" I know," he answered her. Their link grew stronger and Jean reached up to tug on a stray strand of his hair, tugging his face down to hers and kissing him deeply. They broke apart after a minute, and Jean felt the concern melt away into relief. Then she remembered what had happened and she turned her head.  
  
Heero was staring at the professor. Jean could feel the psychic energy being wielded and knew Xavier was scanning Duo to see if their efforts had born any fruit. It would take a few minutes. The tension in Heero's shoulders was painfully evident, muscles taut, knotted from stress.  
  
" Heero," she called softly. The boy started and then whipped around to look at her.  
  
" Jean?"  
  
" How are you feeling?" she asked, genuinely concerned. Getting mind- blasted out of someone's head was always a painful experience. Pain was already spiking through her skull but this had definitely not been the first time she'd been forced out of someone's head, and by dint of experience. She shifted most of the pain to one side and focused on the Japanese pilot.  
  
" I'm fine," came the stoic response. Jean raised one sceptical eyebrow and then very carefully, scanned his surface thoughts. There was some pain but nothing like she had felt. Either Duo had made her his prime target in that blast, or Heero had a very high tolerance for pain. She had a feeling it was more of a case of the latter - Duo lacked both skill to direct his attack so specifically, and the strength to damage her past her shields like that. Her already considerable respect for the pilots grew yet another notch. Then she remembered something and she turned to look at the golden- haired pilot standing a few feet away, wrapped up in Trowa's arms.  
  
" Quatre? That was you I felt wasn't it?" Jean smiled at the Arabian. " That burst of warmth and friendship you sent through your link with Duo helped give him strength where mine was failing. It helped fortify him against Shinigami's attacks - he knew he had to win in order to protect all of you."  
  
Quatre blushed red to the roots of his blonde hair, a startling contrast to his normally pale skin. Trowa's face was suffused with pride. " I just wanted to help," he mumbled. " I didn't even know if it would work, really. I just wanted to let Duo know he had all of us here rooting for him." Trowa's arms tightened.  
  
" That's what saved him." Scott finally put her down and Jean closed her eyes against the brief wave of dizziness that washed over her before disappearing. " You have great potential Quatre."  
  
Wufei shifted from where he was leaning against the door. Beside him, Jubilee remained uncharacteristically silent, lending him her support. " When will Duo wake up?"  
  
Everyone turned to look back at the Professor but he was still busy scanning Duo. The Beast cleared his throat and all the heads turned to him instead.  
  
" All of young Maxwell's vital signs are normal, including his brain wave patterns - which are active by the way, meaning he is not brain dead as is usually the results in a psychic battle." Henry looked sombre at this. " He's in a kind of a coma right now - the body's way of resting while it heals itself. He's been through traumatic experience and it will take time for him to recover. Barring the professor's thoughts to the contrary when he finishes his check over, I see no reason why Duo shouldn't make a full recovery."  
  
" What about de implant?" Gambit's voice came from the doorway and he stepped inside, red-on-black eyes flashing. " Did you remove it?"  
  
" Actually," Henry cleared his throat. " I can't find a trace of it. I've scanned his frontal lobe where it was placed and there's no trace of it."  
  
" Duo hit it with a blast of some kind of energy," Heero said quietly." While he was fighting Shinigami, he sent a burst of power somewhere and something exploded. I assume he eradicated any trace of the implant."  
  
Henry McCoy stroked his chin thoughtfully. " That would explain the bug's disappearance, yes."  
  
Professor Xavier raised his head tiredly. " I've finished scanning."  
  
" What did you learn, Professor?" Jean found Scott's hand and held it as she watched her mentor with a worried expression.  
  
" It would appear your friend's mind had successfully repaired itself. He is no longer being split in two - he has mended the tear that the implant created." The professor smiled. " Give him some time to heal and he'll be back on his feet in no time."  
  
Heero and the other pilots let out huge sighs of relief. Jubilee whooped and pounded Wufei on the back, the latter who choked, stumbling forward a bit at the unexpected assault. He caught his balance, turned, and glared at his assailant. His glare then turned to a look of shock as Jubilee launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.  
  
" H-help!" he croaked.  
  
Trowa chuckled at the panicked expression on Wufei's face while Quatre howled outright. His gaze turned to the Arabian in his arms and his eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He still wasn't sure how Quatre had done what he did. He had the feeling Quatre wasn't really sure either. Perhaps it was a good thing that they were stuck here in this universe for the moment - it wouldn't hurt for Quatre to receive some of that special training Jean had alluded to earlier during one of their talks.  
  
Quatre felt the slight tensing of Trowa's muscles and he stopped his laughter at Wufei, turning within the circle of Trowa's embrace and looking up at his taller lover.  
  
" Trowa?" he asked. His clear voice held a note of concern. Trowa smiled and leaned down, kissing the tip of his nose.  
  
" Nothing," Trowa assured him. " You just impressed me."  
  
" Don't I always?" Quatre tried to inject a hint of arrogance in his tone but his giggles got in the way. Trowa chuckled again and leaned in for an even better kiss.  
  
" They are so cute!" Jubilee squealed, watching the two of them. Wufei was like a statue. Jubilee pulled back and stared at the frozen pilot with the wide eyes and dropped jaw. She grinned. " So are you!"  
  
Wufei seemed to regain his movement. " Get off me, female!" he yelped and slithered out of her grasp, making a break for the door. Gambit neatly stepped out of the way. Jubilee laughed and gave chase.  
  
" Well that's one way to tell the rest of us how y'all did," came a familiar southern accent. Gambit moved back over and took Rogue's hand. She looked up, scanning his eyes intently, seeing the relief in his eyes, knowing that it stemmed from the fact that Sinister had failed to claim another victim.  
  
" De kid's gonna be okay, Chere," he grinned. Rogue smiled.  
  
" Glad tah hear it."  
  
Beast cleared his throat again. " As happy an occasion as this is, I'd like to point out that this boy is still suffering from a rather severe bullet wound and numerous other small injuries. Some peace and quiet would be most beneficial to his recuperation."  
  
" I think we've been told," Jean mumbled to her husband with a smile. She looked over at Heero. " I'll be back later to check on both of you, okay?"  
  
Heero nodded. Jean then tugged her husband out the door. The professor floated his hover chair past them. " I too shall return later, but I remain confident in my original diagnosis," he said firmly. Rogue and Gambit followed him out.  
  
Trowa and Quatre stood by the bed for a minute. Heero looked up at the Arabian.  
  
" How did you do that? That whole emotional-transfer thing?"  
  
Quatre shrugged. " Not sure, actually. I just knew I wanted to help. My space heart has always been connected to you guys - I just figured I should try using it aggressively instead of passively for a change."  
  
" I'm glad you did," Heero said, glancing down at the bed at his comatose partner. " He was really...struggling. That energy gave him the boost he needed to defeat Shinigami."  
  
Trowa nodded. " I think Quatre should take Jean up on her offer to train him in the use of his abilities."  
  
Heero agreed. " Quatre?"  
  
" No objections here," the blonde said. " This would definitely come in handy back home."  
  
" Then it's settled." Trowa tugged on Quatre's arm. " We'll leave you two alone to get some rest. We'll come back later, okay?"  
  
Heero nodded, a faint smile curling the edges of his mouth. " Go rescue Wufei."  
  
Quatre grinned. " Oh I think he can handle her himself. He wasn't running THAT fast."  
  
The two left the infirmary with a round of laughter. Heero shook his head. " Unreal." He blinked, and then looked at his partner with a mock glare. " See? Now you've even got me talking like you. Wake up so I can yell at you."  
  
Duo didn't move. But Heero remembered the Beasts diagnosis, backed up by the professor's words and wasn't too worried. A lethargic wave swept over him, reminding him just how little sleep he'd gotten lately, and he curled up on his side, still facing his partner so he could see him when he woke up. He drifted off to the sound of the machines.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
End part 10 


End file.
